


Spiders and Semblances

by Soldier4Remnant



Category: RWBY, Spider-Man (Ultimateverse)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Fantastic Racism, Gen, Loss, Mutant Rights, Original Character(s), Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Pre-Volume 1 (RWBY), Slow Burn, Trauma, Ultimate Spider-Man - Freeform, White Fang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-04-07 23:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14092509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soldier4Remnant/pseuds/Soldier4Remnant
Summary: In the wake of Ultimatum, Peter Parker found himself stranded in another world. With no way back he sets out to build a new life, both in and out of costume, in this strange world, he doesn't fully understand. A world filled with potential new friends and enemies, yet seemingly familiar problems.





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**  
  
  
  
Growing up, Peter Parker had read his share of superhero comics before becoming one himself. They made being a superhero seem exciting and glamorous. In his own experiences, the reality didn’t always live up the fantasy. For example, most superheroes in the comics never seemed to have to bother with sewing up their costumes. Batman had Alfred and Superman had robots in his Fortress of Solitude to handle more mundane tasks.  
  
Being neither independently wealthy nor the inheritor of advanced alien technology Peter had to handle it himself. So with thread and needle, he worked on repairing his costume to the best of his ability. Originally MJ had made the costumes he had gone through. But over time he had learned the basics. Enough to repair his current outfit, but he’d have to replace it completely down the road. He’d already been forced to make a new mask having lost his old one just before ending up here.  
  
...Well, he couldn’t say his life wasn’t exciting.  
  
His phone started vibrating suddenly, he put down his thread and needle when he recognized the number. Peter had to remind himself they were called “scrolls” in this place before answering it, “Hello Mrs. Evergreen[1].”  
  
“ _And hello to you Peter!”_ A cheerful voice responded on the other end of the line, “ _I wanted to touch base with you about a few things. First off I wanted to know how you’re adjusting to life in Vale?”_  
  
“Better than I thought I would,” that was an honest enough answer, he didn’t know if he would ever completely adjust to living _here._  
  
He walked over to his window and looked up at the night sky, “Again, Mrs. Evergreen thank you for everything you and the agency did.” That was a completely honest answer, “The job, the apartment, all of it. I really don’t know what I’d be doing if it wasn’t your help.”  
  
“ _Oh, you’re quite welcome young man!”_ The woman replied happily before making an effort to sound more professional in the process, “ _Now I imagine that there things about Vale that might be strange to you.”_  
  
“A few things,” Peter admitted as he stared at the shattered moon fighting the urge to scream the question that had been on his mind since he had arrived.  
  
“ _Well, we actually have a new buddy program that might be perfect for you.”_  
  
“Buddy program?”  
  
“ _Volunteers who take the time to help migrants adjust to the day to day aspects of Valish life.”_ Mrs. Evergreen explained, “ _We actually have a pair who’d be perfect for you; they’re around your age and like you, they’re from outside the Kingdom.”_  
  
“I don’t really know if that would work for me. Between the job,” Peter looked over at his desk, “and other stuff I have going on I don’t really have time for anything else.”  
  
“ _Well, these two are also students at a combat school so I’m certain that they’ll understand such priorities.”_  
  
He tried to think of a way to politely turn her down but hesitated. Going home probably wasn’t going to be happening anytime soon...if it would happen at all. Getting to know Remnant and its people would probably be for the best. Plus if he was being honest with himself it had been a lonely few months.  
  
“I guess that sounds good Mrs. Evergreen, sign me up.”  
  
“ _Oh, that’s wonderful!”_ His bubbly case worker exclaimed, “ _I’ll be sure to give them your contact information.”_ With that they exchanged goodbyes and the call was ended.  
  
Peter turned his attention back to repairing his costume. Guilt gnawed at him now as he worked, he felt like he had taken advantage of these people.  
  
As he understood it beyond this world’s four Kingdoms were monster-infested wilds. Villages and tribes of nomads tried to make a living but it didn’t always work out. He had seen enough horror films let his imagination fill in the blanks. As such migrants and refugees were commonplace, so were agencies and charities aimed at helping said people.  
  
Lacking any other options Peter had opted to pass himself as a migrant to get help. He kept a ledger of everything that had been given to him. Every article of clothing, every bite of food, every piece of furniture, his scroll [2], the rent vouchers, all of it. He’d pay back every penny, or lien, of it if he could and perhaps do more to help Vale.  
  
This city seemed to have both a crime problem and even some kind of Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy knockoff to boot. That brought back memories of those last few hours in New York. The tidal wave hitting the city, Xavier’s message, all those poor people, Doctor Strange’s death, and then ending up here[3]. He never quite figured out how the hell Magneto pulled off the tsunami. Was he powerful enough to affect plate tectonics?  
  
He took a deep breath and went back to work. That was the last thing he wanted to think about now. Instead, he tried to think of the best way to introduce the people of Vale to their new, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He’d be done with fixing up his costume soon enough, should he just go out on a patrol and see what he came across?  
  
From what he understood superheroes and villains didn’t exist here outside of comic books. There were Huntsmen and Huntresses, warriors who specialized in fighting those monsters he’d heard so much about. From what he understood they had powers of some kind but nothing on the level of Thor, Hulk, Magneto, or Jean Grey. So hopefully he could handle anyone he ran into out there.  
  
  
  
**Notes:**  
  
[1] I needed a name that followed RWBY’s color themed rule  
[2] Since scrolls seem to function as a form of ID (Students at Beacon need them to get into their rooms you need one to place calls at the CCT) in addition to communication I figure they’d be classed as a necessity and as such get provided along side food and clothing. Though these are stripped down models.  
[3] This is referencing the events of[ Ultimatum / Comicbook - TV Tropes](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Comicbook/Ultimatum) a miniseries that was meant to shake up the Ultimate Marvel Universe and instead arguably ended setting the stage for it’s demise.


	2. Chapter One

 

 

 

> **Chapter One**  
>    
>    
>    
>  Peter stood on the roof of his apartment building looking out at this strange city. Dominating its skyline was a collection of towers; Beacon Academy and the CCT.  
>    
>  It was an impressive sight, even more so now that he knew the former was a school to train monster hunters. The rest of the capital’s buildings were considerably smaller in comparison. Skyscrapers never caught on in this world, or at least not here in Vale.  
>    
>  “Well,” He said donning his mask, “time to get to work.”  
>    
>  The red and blue clad hero ran for the ledge, his heart racing. He dove off the building feeling the wind even through his costume. He smiled beneath his mask as he fired off a web-line and swung upward.  
>    
>  _'I forgot there was a fun part of this whole thing.'_  
>    
>  Spider-Man swung through the residential district of Vale keeping an eye open for crimes to thwart. So far everyone seemed to be in a law abiding mood. Said citizens looking up in surprise, a few took pictures with their scrolls. No one was throwing stones or shooting at him, so he decided to count that as a win.  
>    
>  The web slinger's plan was to pay a visit to the industrial district where the city’s crime problem seemed to be concentrated. In any world villains loved their conveniently abandoned warehouses. Of course, as seconds turned to minutes it dawned he had no clue where he was going. Born and raised in in New York City, Peter knew it like the back of his hand. Vale was new to him.  
>    
>  Stopping, he checked the map on his scroll. From the looks of it, this was one of the ritzier parts of the city. One building that stood out was a sleek, ivory office building adorned with a snowflake.  
>    
>  _'A snowflake? I guess that building must be owned by that Schnee company I’ve heard so much about.'_  
>    
>  From what he understood they were Apple and Stark Enterprises rolled into one. With a few taps on the screen, he confirmed he was in Vale’s commercial district. This part of the city seemed fairly quiet at this hour.  
>    
>  “Maybe I should just head home?” He wondered out loud, “I do have work tomorrow. I could take it easy for the rest of the night. Plan out a patrol route?”  
>    
>  The sound of engines roaring drew his gaze upwards to see a pair of those osprey-type aircraft he’d seen zipping around the city. It was a little weird to see them flying around at night. It was also weird that they had their lights off...and were landing on top of the Schnee building.  
>    
>  “I guess it’s too much to hope they’re here for a late night office party.” He fired off a web line and swung over to greet the would-be robbers. Opting for the stealth approach he didn’t go directly for the roof. Instead, he landed on the massive snowflake that adorned the building and crawled up towards the top. As he did Peter looked through the windows of building seeing nothing in the way of security guards which was weird in his experience. Hopefully, it meant he didn’t have to worry about these guys taking hostages.  
>    
>  Reaching the top he peaked over the ledge to get a look at what he was up against. He saw half a dozen mooks in white and red masks guarding the aircraft. They were armed with assault rifles of some sort and swords. Peter guessed there were more guys inside he’d have to handle. The first thing he decided to deal with were their aircraft.  
>    
>  Peter took a moment to memorize their patrol pattern before making his move. The costumed hero leaped over the ledge onto the roof then atop one of the aircraft. After discretely tossing a few web cartridges into one of the craft’s jet engines he took a closer at the masked henchmen.  
>    
>  The first thing that stood out was that one of them had antlers. The second were the blood red symbols emblazoned on their outfits: some kind of predatory cat, maybe a puma, imposed over a trio of claw marks.  
>    
>  _'So I guess these guys are the White Fang.'_ He thought, chucking a few more web cartridges into the engine of the other aircraft. _'And now to take these goons out quietly one by one.'_  
>    
>  Then relative silence of the rooftop was shattered by his scroll going off. Followed the distinct mechanical sound of gun safeties being switched off.  
>    
>    
>    
>  \---xxx---  
>    
>    
>    
>  Lie Ren sat on the floor of his room in a lotus position meditating. An ancient means getting in tune with one’s aura as well as an excellent means relaxation. His eyes closed, he enjoyed a hyper-awareness of his surroundings. Among other things, he could hear the sounds of his roommate and best friend fidgeting nervously with something.  
>    
>  “Is something wrong Nora?”  
>    
>  “I’m worried about our new buddy.” She answered, “He’s not answering his scroll.”  
>    
>  “It’s rather late, most likely he’s asleep.” Ren suggested, “I would suggest trying to contact him tomorrow.”  
>    
>  “But I really wanted to get to know our new friend.” Nora said sadly, “That woman said he doesn’t have anyone here. Can you imagine what that’s like?”  
>    
>  Ren frowned, opening his magenta eyes to see Nora staring down at her scroll, “At least we had each other.”  
>    
>  Getting settled in Vale had been a difficult process for both of them. Especially while trying to come to terms with what had been taken from them. Support for people in their situation hadn’t been as readily than as it was these days. Memories of those days were undoubtedly why Nora had signed up for the buddy program.  
>    
>  “I wouldn’t be too worried about him.” Ren assured her with a smile, “According to the information supplied by Mrs. Evergreen this Peter is a migrant, not a refugee. He most likely has friends and family back in his home village.”  
>    
>  “I guess that’s true,” Nora said reluctantly, “I guess I can call him in the morning.”  
>    
>  Getting visions of her making phone calls at the crack of dawn Ren made a counter proposal: “Why don’t I simply send him a text asking him to contact us at his earliest convenience?”  
>    
>  “Oh, that’s a much better idea!”  
>    
>  Using his own scroll he pulled up the contact information that had been provided by the agency. Compared to the ringing of a scroll surely Peter wouldn’t mind the ping of a text alert?  
>    
>    
>    
>  \---xxx---  
>    
>    
>    
>  Spider-Man raised his hands in what he hoped was the multiversal gesture for _don’t shoot_. The White Fang operatives all had their weapons trained on him. The one with the antlers, whom Peter mentally dubbed ‘Rudolph’, spoke. Despite more pressing issues Peter hoped giving him that nickname wasn’t racist.  
>    
>  “Alright human, who the hell are you and what are you doing here!?” Rudolph demanded.  
>    
>  “I’m Spider-Man,” He gave a friendly little wave, “in case the costume didn’t give it away I’m a superhero.” Despite the masks they wore, Peter could see the looks of incredulity they were giving him, “That means I’m here to stop you.”  
>    
>  “You’re going to stop us?” Rudolph was clearly amused, “Good job so far.”  
>    
>  “Well, I sabotaged your getaway vehicles.” When they responded with stunned silence he added: “What’d you think I was doing up here in the first place?”  
>    
>  The goons glanced at one another giving Peter the chance he needed. He did a back-flip off the VTOL and landed behind the aircraft. Faster than he had anticipated, two of the goons had circled around the aircraft, guns blazing. His spider-sense flared, giving just enough warning to dodge a hail of gunfire.  
>    
>  Spider-Man jumped and twisted out of the way, firing off two globs of webbing at his attackers. Both hit their mark leaving the two goons stuck trying to get the webbing off their faces. Before they could, he quickly wrapped them both up in webbing.  
>    
>  “Oh god, this feels disgusting!” One exclaimed as he and his compatriot fell to the ground.  
>    
>  There was no time for a reprieve as Rudolph and the other goon came at him from the left with blades drawn.  
>    
>  “Whoa! Give me time for a one-liner!” Spider-Man exclaimed, firing more webbing this time aimed at their ankles.  
>    
>  While number four went down, Rudolph not only combat rolled out of the way but drew a sidearm and opened fire. Once more, it was Peter’s turn to dodge gunfire, before snagging one of the cocooned henchmen and hurling him at Rudolph. That managed to catch him off guard slamming them both into one of the aircraft.  
>    
>  ' _Okay, so henchmen in this world seem to be tougher and faster than normal.'_ Spider-Man filed that under ‘important things to know about this world’, before making sure the mooks were properly restrained.  
>    
>  He had just finished webbing Rudolph and friends to their aircraft when he heard something ominous. Something metallic being dragged across the ground. Turning around, he saw a mountain of a man step out onto the roof from inside the building.  
>    
>  Unlike the others, his mask completely covered his face. Tattoos covered his arms and Peter noticed he was dragging a freakishly long chainsaw behind him. As the White Fang operative revved the weapon to life one thought crossed Spider-Man's mind:  
>    
>  ' _What the hell is up with this guy!?'_

 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

 

“Well...you certainly look more intimidating than the average henchmen.”

“Henchmen!?” The man spoke with a really strange accent, “I am a Lieutenant in the White Fang!”

Spider-Man smiled beneath his mask, it had been too long since he had pushed someone’s buttons. “Now, I’m sure you’re very important for a henchman without a name but would be it possible to fight someone a little higher up the chain of command? I figure stopping an important bad guy will make a good first impression on the good people of Vale.”

With speed surprising for a man his size, he charged Spider-Man. The web-slinger found himself surprised by the Lieutenant’s skills. Peter had expected him to attack like Leatherface. Instead, he seemed well-trained in using his chainsaw like a sword.

The man was trying to dismember him but his approach was surprisingly methodical, there was a pattern to it. That and spider-sense were probably the only two reasons he was still in one piece. The masked man did seem to be as strong as he looked, taking the blows superhero landed

'Maybe I should have done training of some kind before going out like this?' Spider-Man wondered as he ducked beneath a slash that would have bisected him. Back home going out on regular patrols kept his skills sharp. Here, it had been months since he'd even put on the costume.

He delivered two kicks to the guy's abdomen causing the Lieutenant to stumble back.

“What the-?,” Peter for a moment thought he was imagining things but he really was seeing kind of faint energy discharge whenever he struck the guy, “Do you have some kind of force field!?”

The Lieutenant didn’t respond, but Peter could practically feel the man’s stare. It was a response he had received from locals on occasion. Once when he’d asked: “What’s dust?” or another time when he’d called a man with rabbit ears a mutant. In short, it was whenever he'd just done or said something deeply stupid from their perspective.

When the chainsaw nut charged again, Peter decided he had more important things to worry about.

Peter jumped over his opponent, firing a web at the chainsaw as he passed overhead. In the midst of this maneuver, he realized that his scroll fell out of his costume. Hoping, it didn't get crushed he focused on the task at hand. Landing, Spider-Man yanked the weapon out of the Lieutenant’s grasp and smashed it into the ground.

The Slasher movie reject went berserk and flew into Peter. He tried to fire webbing at the guys' face, but nothing came out.

“Oh sh-” The giant slugged him hard enough to knock him off his feet. He then picked Spider-Man up by his ankles and smashed him into the ground. Despite the pain, he looked the Lieutenant in the eye and grinned beneath his mask.

“Is someone angry that I broke their toy?” The Lieutenant snarled and brought his boot down on Peter’s stomach again and again. This guy wasn’t giving him a chance he needed an opening of some kind while his organs were still intact.

'God, if you're listening I need a favor.'

 

\---xxx---

 

People sometimes asked Ren why he 'put up' with Nora. A question that never failed to both offend and confuse him. When he bothered to dignify the question with an answer, he did so by listing off her strengths and virtues.

She was kind, protective, ever joyful, full of energy, and an amazing warrior. If he had to name a fault that did cause him some distress, it would be that Nora bored easily. A trait that resulted in them being banned from more than one place in the Kingdom.

Presently, she was dealing with boredom and anxiety in less destructive, if still distracting, manner. She bounced on her bed as he painstakingly tried to compose an email for their new 'buddy' from beyond the kingdom.

Trying to ignore the squeaking of the mattress springs, he wondered how best to voice a concern he had about this 'Peter'. Being literal-minded, Nora seemed to think that this Peter Parker was automatically their new friend. He decided it was perhaps a talk to be had after the present matter was resolved.

“Are you still writing that email?” Nora asked her best friend/roommate,“What’s taking so long?”

“First impressions are delicate Nora,” Ren explained as he typed on his scroll, “It’s important to ensure that I come across as amicable, but not overly familiar. Formal enough to be polite, yet not so much that I seem unapproachable.” The ginger-haired girl sighed and said:

“You’re way too serious.” He turned to her looking offended,

“And you are far too silly!” Ren retorted, the two locked eyes briefly. Then Nora giggled and he smiled before glancing over the email. Satisfied with it, he hit send, “And it’s done.” He sighed, hoping he handled this delicately, “now there is something I want to discuss with you regarding Peter...”

 

\---xxx---

 

At this point, Spider-Man wouldn’t have been surprised if he had a cracked rib or two. A sudden ping sound gave his tormentor a brief pause. Knowing this was his chance, Peter ignored the pain and moved. He sprang back to his feet in one quick motion and this time was a lot less restrained. He'd always tried to dial back the super strength out of fear of killing someone by accident.

Considering that this asshole was strong enough to tenderize his midsection, Peter bet he could take it. Careful to dodge the Faunus’s counter-attacks he punched, kneed, elbowed, and kicked whenever an opening could be found.

With every strike, he noticed that faint glow again, until with an uppercut the Lieutenant’s entire force field lit up and dissipated. The terrorist went down like a house of cards. As he lay there twitching Peter reloaded his web shooter.

“My aura...” The Lieutenant groaned.

Peter filed away the term 'aura' to look it up later. Presently he decided to question and taunt the jumped up henchmen.

“Oh my god, I forgot you could talk!” Spider-Man exclaimed, “Since you’ve rediscovered the power of speech mind telling how many guys are inside? Maybe what you’re doing here if you’re feeling really chatty?”

Unsurprisingly the Faunus responded with what Peter suspected was his typical silence. “You know what I’ll go down and see myself.”

After webbing up Lieutenant Sunshine, he walked over trying to ignore the feeling he had been run over by train. The pain curbed a desire for running or acrobatics. Not the worse beating he’d taken but definitely in the top twenty.

He suspected that he’d a few bruises to explain away to his boss in the morning. As he stopped to pick up his scroll, it occurred to him that he could just call in sick. The old man[1] was a way more understanding boss then Jameson.

“But then, no one else was scheduled in for tomorrow.” Peter wished that there was an easier way to solve the problem.

'Seriously why isn’t this building crawling cops or something? Doesn’t this place have any kind of security system?'

Unless the White Fang had somehow disabled them? On a hunch, he searched the VTOLs the Fang had parked on the roof.

Hit the jackpot: the interior of one of the aircraft had some pretty impressive equipment setup. It reminded him of a SHIELD surveillance van he had been inside of once except a little ad-hoc. Everything seemed to be hooked up to what the locals called a Grimoire [2]. To Peter, it was a powerful laptop designed to resemble a book.

“Well, this looks important,” Spider-Man said as he sat down in front of the computer. It looked they had hacked into the building network and disabled it’s alarms and automated security systems.

“Let’s see if we can fix that.” He murmured aloud. While fairly tech savvy Peter found himself a little out of his depth. Computers in this world ran on different operating systems. Not completely alien, just enough to throw him off.

Then again, he shouldn't be complaining that they didn't have Windows here. Really, it was a miracle they even spoke the same language as him.

Familiarizing himself with this world’s strange technology was probably yet another thing he needed to do. Hopefully, he could just switch the alarms back on which, he assumed would notify the police. He had no clue what else 'automated security systems' could be. Hopefully, it didn't unleash hoards of killer robots.

A few minutes later alarms blared. From inside the VTOL Peter saw the rooftop entrance automatically close and lock. While not exactly his best moment as Spider-Man, he felt confident enough that he could leave the rest to Vale’s finest. He had disabled several of their men, including their leader, and sabotaged their getaway planes.

A panicked voice screamed over the VTOL’s radio, making Peter practically jump out of his costume, “What the hell happened up there!? The SDC security droids are back online!”

“I was joking when I said killer robots!” Peter cried out in sheer exasperation at the universe at large.

The Grimoire screen popped up an image that reminded him of life bars from a video game. Icons depicting four White operatives next to the life bars...that were called 'Aura Monitors'.

Regardless of what they were called the thing, Spider-Man fixated on was that they were all dropping fast. The life bar comparison he had made earlier compelled him to make a decision he suspected that he was going regret: “I've got to save them!”

 

Notes:

[1] Yes Peter's boss is the old man who runs every small business in Vale  
[2] I figured it's an appropriate name for a laptop in Remnant


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**  
  
  
  
Peter knew he made bad choices over the years and had no trouble admitting it. Choices that had horrible consequences for himself and worse; for the people he cared about. To him, it was karma, plain and simple. But then there were the strange things that happened that even Spider-Man felt he didn’t deserve.  
  
Like swapping bodies with Wolverine for a day [1]. Or having a _Lifetime_ movie of the week made about him[2]. Or having a run in with actual vampires [3]. Or ending up some weird magitech world where nobody seemed to question the shattered moon in the freaking sky. Just to name four things that he attributed to the Lovecraftian force he dubbed Parker Luck.  
  
_This_ mess would be added to that list provided he survived. All he wanted to do was for once let the police handle the rest. He could go home, put ice on his bruises, and maybe learn more about this world before he got himself killed. But instead, he was in the middle of an army of Schnee slaughterbots and four stubborn terrorists.  
  
“I’m trying to help you!” He pleaded while leaping around the room dodging gunfire from both sides, “If you’ll just give me a chance.”  
  
“You’ve done enough you _X-Ray and Vav_ reject!” One of the terrorists shouted from behind the overturned desk the Faunus were using as cover. Between a dozen droids and the four terrorists, the pristine white offices of this floor had been decimated. Furniture and computers chewed up by gunfire, bullet holes in the wall.  
  
Using his webs he crushed a pair of droids with a desk before hurling it at the White Fang who trying to take pot shots at him. Apparently, henchmen were idiots in any universe. They ducked as the desk went over their heads and shattered the window behind them. He could now hear what sounded like the entire VPD coming. He had the odd feeling this whole mess wouldn’t leave a good first impression on the Kingdom’s finest.  
  
_'Murderbots first,' He_ thought as three more droids bore down on him, _'then worry about the cops.'_ The others seemed to be focusing on the White Fang. That prompted him to dispatch the Schnee-bots attacking him as fast as possible. These things did not seem to have “non-lethal” in their programming.  
  
“On the plus side, you guys are pretty sluggish.” He used one of the robots as a shield against a barrage from the other two. Spider-Man then kicked the now bullet-ridden machine at them knocking them. For good measure, he crushed them with a desk before they could get up. His spider-sense went off giving him to bend over backward as bullets flew his way. Peter practically felt the bullets graze his abdomen as they whizzed over him.  
__  
'Looks like I got their attention,'He thought as he dodged more gunfire, _'Not exactly what I wanted but hopefully the mooks don’t get themselves or me killed before I can a handle on things.'_  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
With the droids prioritizing him as a target Spider-Man returned the favor. Using his webs he hurled anything not bolted to the floor at the droids. Given their sluggish reaction times they had no chance of dodging. His spider-sense flared warning him of an attack from behind. He narrowly avoided being stabbed by a lizard-tailed White Fang operative.  
  
“What’s your problem!?” Spider-Man yelled as he grabbed the nutjob he mentally dubbed "Gex" [4] by the tail and hurled into a pair of killbots, “They’re focused on me, why wou-” Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the other three Fang mooks making a beeline for the stairs. One carrying what sure as hell looked like a hard drive. Peter decided not to mention the fact he had sabotaged their aircraft, _'I’ll let them have this moment plus I can get away from the killer robots.'_  
  
With a webbed up Gex over his shoulder, he went for one of the broken windows. Leaping out he discovered that not only was the VPD here in force but a crowd of onlookers had gathered on the streets below. He noted the sound of aircraft overhead as he swung over to the roof of the nearest building. Landing with Gex to he turned around only to be blinded by a bright light shining down on him.  
  
“ **This is the Vale City Police Department!”** An amplified voice from above stated just barely audible over the roar of the descending aircraft. Raising his arm to shield his eyes he could make out the VTOL more clearly, **“Please-**  
  
_'Put your hands in the air?'_  
  
“ **-turn the prisoner over to our custody.”** Peter’s jaw dropped inside his mask. Weren't they going to arrest him? Or accuse him of working with the White Fang? Or just shoot him? The VTOL door slid open and two of Vale’s finest stepped out in tactical gear. Spider-Man in case this went ugly but to his amazement, the cops took Gex off his hands.  
  
“Will this stuff keep him restrained until we get him to the station?” One of the officers asked as he examined the webbing on the mook.  
  
“It has the tensile strength of steel but will dissolve in an hour or so.” The policeman nodded and the two of them loaded Gex onto the VTOL. Looking over to the SDC building Peter was pleased to see smoke coming from the turbines one of the Fang’s aircraft. Apparently, his little act of sabotage had paid off. Watching cops descend on the SDC roof to arrest the others Peter felt like this night had gone well all in all.  
  
“Hey, kid,” The talkative cop called, “Any clue what they were here for?”  
  
“It's Spider-Man sir, and they had some kind of hard drive[5]," He explained,"I don't if they stole it or downloaded something to it.”  
  
“Alright, we’ll make sure it’s recovered.” The officer nodded to the other who radioed it in and then turned with a look that deflated Peter’s good mood, “In the meantime, you need to leave kid.” Good feelings gone, “Go back to Beacon,” The cop told him bluntly, “Signal, Torch [6], whichever school you attend before the SDC’s private goons arrive.”  
  
“Why? I stopped the White Fang.”  
  
“From the looks of it, you just wrecked the entire floor of an SDC office building in the process.” Peter deflated, the officer seemed to pick up on this adding: “I get that this kind of thing can’t always be helped but these guys aren’t so understanding. Unless your last name is Schnee they’re gonna wanna take you in for questioning. They can’t touch you at the schools so get going.”  
  
“I guess it’d really suck to me if I didn’t go to combat school?” Spider-Man used a joking tone for the question he really needed answering. It wouldn't be the first time some company had hired mercenaries to go after him. The SDC was starting to sound like some of the corporations back home. Less like Stark and more like the ones that created half his old rogue's gallery.  
  
“Yeah, it really would.” The officer responded with a laugh as Spider-Man walked to the ledge of the roof. Trying to ignore his aching midsection he swung away Peter weighed the good and bad of his first outing as Vale’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. On one he had stopped a dangerous terrorist group from committing a crime. On the other, he made an enemy of a megacorp despite saving trade secrets or whatever was on that damn hard drive. Which was pretty much just another day at the office for him. Yet the cops here were what was the best way to put it?  
  
_'Ambivalent?'_ They basically told him to get lost but in an “it’s for you’re own good” kinda way. Just for not trying to gun him down on sight he’d mark that as a positive. Unless there was something he was missing this was a pretty good night...for him.  
**  
**  
  
Notes:  
  
  
  
[1] Yes this really happened, it was hilarious  
[2] This as well, to add insult Flash Thompson was the hero of it  
[3] Ditto...when/if Peter's Remnan friends find out about the world he came from they going to strongly question his claim that Remnant's the crazy world.  
[4] From this point on Spider-Man will deal with named characters so the nickname thing will stop unless the nickname really gets on the villain's nerves  
[5] This ends up having a big impact on events  
[6] Torch Combat Institute, the name fits in with the established Vale schools. It's also where Ren and Nora are currently attending


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**  
  
  
  
At last, it was time to meet the people who had both nearly gotten him killed and saved his life in a single night. Stepping into the diner, Peter still found himself surprised for a moment in spite of himself Aside from one waitress having a fox tail this place could have been any diner back in New York. The expected smells of bacon and freshly brewed coffee let him imagine he was back home. Then the smells of garlic, ginger, and seafood broke the illusion.  
  
Vale, he had learned, was a weird cultural smoothie in all things. The people spoke English, usually with American accents, while the city looked vaguely European. He regularly bought produce from people in tunics while high-tech airships flew overhead. He sometimes found it disorienting trying to understand how it all fitted together.  
  
**“Oh Peter Parker!”** Someone sang out more than loud enough to be heard over the conversational tones of customers and staff alike. So loud that everyone stopped talking joined him in looking for the source. At the other end of the diner, a girl his age stood on her table waving at him. He suddenly felt all eyes on him when he waved back.  
  
She had mid-length ginger hair, bright blue-green eyes, and wore a pink, black, and white outfit. Seated at the booth, with his face buried in his hands was a boy with raven hair that had a magenta streak running through it. He wore a green outfit that looked to be of Asian design.  
  
“I’m guessing you’re Nora?” He asked as he joined them at the booth, “and that,” pointing to the raven-haired boy, “is Lie?”  
  
“Yep!” Nora replied, thankfully now off the table and seated, “but call him Ren.”  
  
“Oh...okay, then.” Peter said awkwardly, “I guess we're not really not on a first name basis yet.”  
  
“We’re from Anima,” Lie explained, lifting his head up, “it’s customary to use family name first and given name last.”  
  
Peter knew that was a custom in some places back on Earth such as Japan. Anima he recognized as the name of the eastern continent. Was it the Asia of this world?  
  
“I went nearly five minutes without accidentally offending someone,” Peter said in a self-deprecating tone, “that’s gotta be a new record.”  
  
“I’m not offended Peter,” Ren replied, his voice and expression so stoic could only take his word. Peter didn’t get the impression he was unfriendly, just reserved, “Honestly its considered a dated custom. Most people in the Kingdom of Mistral don’t even practice it anymore.”  
  
“Plus, anything you’ve done I promise we’ve done as bad.” Nora added before looking embarrassed, “Or worse. Like trying to play Whack-a-Grimm with a war hammer. Most arcades in Vale will throw you out for it." She spread her hands in genuine confusion, "How weird is that!?”  
  
“A...war hammer?” Peter glanced at Ren who nodded ever slightly, his expression distant. ‘ _First impression: Nora is nuts and possibly a public menace.’_  
  
Oblivious to the small exchange Nora pulled out her scroll showing a picture of a hammer Thor would have found impressive despite the pink.  
  
“I call her Magnhild!” She said with a sort pride people back on Earth reserved for talking about an honor roll kid, “What do you think?”  
  
Nora’s grin turned maniacal reinforcing his impression. “I...almost feel sorry for the monsters.”  
  
“The Grimm pretty much run when they see me!”  
  
“Excuse me!” A voice snapped prompting the three teens to look at the booth behind them. An older woman was glaring daggers at them, “Please don’t mention those _things_ , you’re frighting my son!” A boy, no older than ten, looked absolutely petrified. A boy with deep, diagonal scars on his face.  
  
“Our apologies ma’am,” Ren said,  
  
“It’s my fault,” Peter added as he mentally kicked himself, “I brought... _them_ up.” Turning back around he sighed, Ren leaned over the table. In a low voice he said:  
  
“Do not speak of the Grimm if you can help it.” Peter nodded, “People in the Kingdoms tend to be uncomfortable discussing them so openly.”  
  
“Sorry abo-where’d Nora go?” Peter asked when he noticed the ginger was gone from her seat. Ren went from stoic to concerned as he looked around.  
  
“It’s okay,” Nora spoke in a much softer tone then he had heard from her, “we’re safe inside the Kingdom.” Apparently, she had decided to try and talk to the poor kid. She was down on one knee in order to speak to him at eye level, “And even if one of those things showed here up my friend and I go to combat school,” She smiled warmly as she added, “we’d protect you.” Seeing the kind yet determined look on her face, Peter realized she meant it.  
  
‘ _Wow...guess I misjudged her completely.’_  
  
“You’re...you’re a Huntress?” The boy spoke at last his eyes lighting up.  
  
“Huntress-in-training actually,”  
  
Peter smiled as the kid began shooting out a dozen or so questions at a rapid pace. Amazingly enough, Nora answered all the kid’s questions equally fast. She eventually rejoined them after convincing the kid to try the diner’s pancakes. A waitress brought them menus and took drink orders without incident.  
  
“Well, this looks...interesting.” Peter said as he browsed the menu, ‘ _It’s like if the Waffle House got into fusion cuisine.’_ For example there both sweet and savory pancakes on the menu. The sweet pancakes were traditional flapjacks served with butter and various syrups, none of them maple. Savory pancakes had green onions in them which back on Earth would have been called Chinese Pancakes. These seemed to be served with a soy-ginger sauce. Yet another example of that Valish cultural smoothie. Yet another reminder that this wasn't his world.  
  
“Nothing here appeals to you?” Ren asked sounding concerned,  
  
“It all looks good,” Peter meant it, nothing on the menu looked bad, “It’s just different from what I’m used too.”  
  
“It’s not like home,” Ren stated rather than asked, to which Peter simply nodded.  
  
“Vale sometimes seems like another world.” Nora said sadly,  
  
“Another universe some days.” Peter added but managed a small smile. Not just at the joke but being around people who got feeling of being outsiders in the Kingdom...that didn't actually use a King for some reason.  
  
“Hyperbole aside,” Ren said with what he swore was a touch of dry humor, “Vale, any place really, certainly has aspects that can be jarring to outsiders. It also has many positives to it; from diverse cultures, educational opportunities rivaled only by Atlas, and as you are about to discover a vibrant culinary scene. May I make a recommendation?”  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
“So what brought you to Vale?” Nora asked after the waitress took their meal orders. Ren opted to observe rather than participate in the conversation. He was content with his current small circle of friends. She was the one always eager to reach out to new people.  
  
“Coming here wasn’t something I planned out,” Peter laughed then sighed, “but since I’m here I’m gonna go ahead make use of those educational opportuniti-” The brown-haired teen stopped when he realized he was being stared at. “What?”  
  
“You made the trek from your remote hometown to Vale _on a whim_?” Ren asked flatly,  
  
“More or less?” At the nervous admission, Ren narrowed his magenta eyes in disbelief.  
  
“Peter, I find that,” He mentally went through a list of terms filtering ones unsuited for polite conversation, “breathtakingly irresponsible on your part.”  
  
“Crazy’s more like it.” Nora added, Peter gaped at her in disbelief.  
  
“While that could have been phrased more tactfully I conc-” The raven-haired boy started to say before being cut off.  
  
“Crazy awesome!” Ren felt inclined to reacquaint his forehead with his palm as Nora slid into the seat next to Peter and threw an arm around him, “I knew I had a good feeling about you!”  
  
“Uh thanks,” Peter responded uncertainly, prompting Nora to upgrade to a bone-crushing hug. Which was not necessarily hyperbole in her case.  
  
“Please remember he’s a civilian.” Ren warned despite Peter’s expression showing more surprise than anything.  
  
“Oops,” Nora said sheepishly before her eyes widened, “Will you boys excuse me for a second?” Before either could respond she darted off to the restroom.  
  
“Despite possibly cracking a few of my ribs, I think I like her.” Peter admitted with a smile before wincing.  
  
“Many people find her off-putting.” Ren commented sadly,  
  
“Those people should have gone to my high school.” Peter mutter as glanced at the family behind them, “She’s a good person...even if the thought of her wielding a weapon is scary.”  
  
“Your concerns are unfounded I assure you.” Ren found himself feeling a little more conversational he asked, “You mentioned you intended to further your education? May I ask what field piques your interests?”  
  
“Well I’m a little torn but I’m leaning to a degree in genetics.” Unexpected to say the least, genetics as a field had only come into it’s own in recent years. Cutting edge really and something unusual for someone only just arrived from beyond the Kingdom to inclined to study. Perhaps due to Ren’s surprised expression, Peter added “It seems like a field that could do a lot of good,” His expression shifted somewhat, “and I think also do a lot of harm. I guess I wanna maximize the former and minimize that later.”  
  
“That is a rather lofty ambition.” Ren complemented, “Have you chosen a university?”  
  
“Not yet,” Peter shook his head, “I’ve gotta get my GED first, and to do that I’ve gotta get caught up on a few subjects.”  
  
“What subjects?”  
  
“History for one, we were pretty cut off from things back home.” Peter hesitated, “And pretty much anything connected to Dust. Again pretty cut off so we had to make due without.”  
  
“That’s not uncommon,” Ren replied, “You know part of the buddy program includes free museum passes. They offer an engaging way to learn about Vale's history and culture.”  
  
That seemed to pique Peter's interest, “That actually sounds pretty neat."  
  
Ren smiled, it was pleasant to meet someone who shared his interest in the academic.  
  
"Sounds a little boring to me." Both teen boys nearly jumped out of their seats upon hearing Nora's voice. She stood there regarding both of them with a big smile on her face, "But if it's what you guys want, I'll go along with it."  
  
"Why were just standing there?" Peter asked,  
  
"I didn't want to interrupt." She said cryptically as she sat back down. Ren and Peter exchanged looks of confusion before they looked at her.  
  
"Interrupt what?" Ren asked,  
  
"Oh, nothing." She answered and then poked Ren on the forehead, "Boop!"


	6. Chapter Five

        **Chapter Five**

 

>   
>  Blake Belladonna never failed to be taken by the beauty of the Forever Fall Forest. The bright red foliage was so unlike anything she had seen growing up in Menagerie. Alone atop a boulder, she found some measure peace in solitude. Certainly, more then there was to be found among her ‘brothers and sisters’ back at the camp. Even more so in the past week than usual, ever since some self-proclaimed superhero had foiled an operation weeks in the making.  
>    
>  ‘ _A superhero,’_ The feline ears hidden inside her bow flattened at the absurdity of it sank in, ‘ _The White Fang’s new enemy is an adolescent’s comic book power fantasy.’_ It took her moment to realize she referred to him as ‘the White Fang’s’ new enemy.  
>    
>  Truth be told she didn’t feel like she was a part of the organization anymore. Adam was taking things too far, he barely even bothered rationalizing the killing anymore.  
>    
>  Those first few times he’d passed it off as having no choice or as a necessary evil in the name of the goal. He could phrase his arguments in a way that made her doubts seem so childish. But over time violence went from being the means to being the end. Adam morphed from a passionate, but articulate voice of the revolution, to a murderous thug. She’d gradually realized that any moral compass that had guided the White Fang had likewise slowly disappeared. In a way, this ‘Spider-Man’ symbolized how far their group had fallen.  
>    
>  ‘ _We’re secretive, we wear masks, we commit acts of violence, and now we’re being opposed by someone wearing colorful tights...we actually_ look _like super villains.’_ Blake thought bitterly, the moral decay of the organization she had in one form or another supported all her life was now complete. Maybe it was time to implement the idea that had been brewing in the back of her mind?  
>    
>  ‘ _Is that what it’s come to? Running away again?’_ For several months now, it seemed as if a day didn’t go by that she didn’t regret leaving Menagerie. Would she regret leaving the White Fang? Maybe they could be saved? Despite everything she didn’t want to throw an infantile label like “evil” at the organization,  
>    
>  ‘ _They’re just...misguided.’_  
>    
>  “Blake?” She had heard Adam’s approaching footsteps so wasn’t surprised by his voice. She took a moment to school her features before glancing over her shoulder at him. His hardened expression was one she recognized all too well; he was out for blood, “I need you ready to depart by sundown.”  
>    
>  “Where are we going?” She kept her tone professional despite the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
>    
>  “We’re going to Vale,” Adam answered, his grip on the gun-sheath component tightening “to see this so called hero for ourselves.”  
>    
>    
>    
>  \---xxx---  
>    
>    
>    
>  It turned out researching how powers worked in this world wasn’t as hard as Peter expected. Essentially people here could use their _souls_ as a personal force field they called ‘Aura’. This was the power that let Huntsmen and Huntresses battle the Grimm so effectively. Which, in turn, made the Huntsmen the next thing to look up. That turned out to be easier than understanding what Aura was.  
>    
>  They were a celebrated part of Remnan culture, with many teams of enjoyed a level of adoration the Ultimates [1] back home would envy. Among other things, they participated in publicly broadcast tournaments. They also occasionally shared mission footage on social media. So all he had was pick a team to follow and get a crash course in how Aura users fought.  
>    
>  “ _And the winner is Team NDGO!”_  
>    
>  ‘ _Wow,’_ was all Peter thought as the match came to an end and his scroll went to next video in the playlist. He had picked a popular second-year team from Vacuo for three reasons. Firstly it was a good opportunity to learn about another Kingdom. Secondly, they seemed more inclined to post mission footage than most. Thirdly...well; ‘ _If I’m perfectly honest with myself also picked them because they were a team of cute, badass girls...I’m only human dammit!’_  
>    
>  The next video was footage of NDGO helping a tribal militia take down a huge scorpion Grimm called a Deathstalker. As the fight went on, his smile gave way to a frown. The more he saw Aura-users in action the more out of his depth he felt.  
>    
>  Back on Earth his biggest advantage was that most villains were one trick ponies. Sandman turned into sand, Doc Ock had his robotic limbs, Shocker had his gauntlets, Electro was a walking bolt of lightning and so on.  
>    
>  In this world people had _options_ and, if the videos he watched were any indicator, they made use of them. There was Aura, with that potentially came a Semblance. As he understood it a Semblance was a super power. Sorta like the x-gene’s spiritual step brother as he understood it. Supposedly they reflected the individual aura-user in someway. Peter wasn’t sure how much of that he really believed at the end of the day.  
>    
>  He knew magic was real, hell magic was how he ended in this crazy world in the first place. But he didn’t know if Aura could be considered magic. It could interface with technology which to him meant there had to be some kind of logic to it. Same with Dust, or as he called the wonder rock, which was another fun part of the Aura-user’s toolkit. An Aura-user could use it to unleash elemental attacks in a number of creative ways. Then there were the absurdly lethal weapons that many people here seemed to favor. Peter knew this was a gross over simplification but it gave a clear enough picture.  
>    
>  While he had no delusions about being a powerhouse back home Peter felt outclassed here in every way. The people he was likely to face could match his agility and strength or exceed it. Aura could also let people sense enemy movements meaning spider-sense wasn’t a unique advantage either. To top it off his web shooters were a joke compared to the tech and weapons people here wielded.  
>    
>  _‘Also I know from experience that my skin doesn’t stop bullets or knives.’_ Peter paused the video and buried his face in his hands.  
>    
>  He wasn’t sure he’d be able to make a new costume much less upgrade to something like body armor. Even with that would he accomplish anything beyond dying on this strange planet? Sadly no one else was doing a damn thing about the problems that he saw boiling beneath the surface.  
>    
>  The Huntsmen were too focused on the Grimm as far as he could tell. From a big picture perspective, Peter figured that made sense. That’s why he didn’t consider himself a big picture person. Too easy to ignore problems in the name of the "greater good" or miss seemingly little details.  
>    
>  Stopping those creatures mattered more than say stopping a crime boss from a big picture perspective. But what if an unopposed crime boss gains enough power and influence to essentially run the Kingdom? Maybe that view point was how people justified ignoring the mistreatment of the Faunus? What if the White Fang were driven to go full Brotherhood of Mutants? Terror attacks on that scale would probably bring the Grimm in force. And what if some bigots decided to start committing acts of violence against the Faunus out of revenge?  
>    
>  Memories of New York played through his mind, the final horrifying culmination of years of human racism and mutant terrorism. He wondered if anyone had been able to stop Magneto? If so at what cost?  
>    
>  He thought about his friends and loved ones back home had they survived? Aunt May? Gwen? Mary Jane? Kitty? Johnny? Bobby? Jessica? Kenny? Liz? He had no way of getting home. No way of ever finding out if they'd survived. Things here though hadn't reached a point of no return which made the path forward obvious.  
>    
>  ‘ _I guess it doesn't matter if I'm in over my head or not,’_ Peter said his expression becoming more determined, ‘ _never stopped me before. And I can't stand by and do nothing while innocent lives are at risk. I have a better chance at making a difference than most and that means it's my responsibility to do something.'_  
>    
>  **  
>   
>  Notes:  
>    
>  **  
>    
>  [1] The Ultimates are basically the Avengers of that universe, the main differences being that they answer to SHIELD and that most of them are assholes


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six  
**  
  
  
Despite the circumstances, Blake was _almost_ happy to back in Vale, specifically back in her uncle’s [1] bookstore. It was the one place she felt completely relaxed. Something the cat faunus needed considering she had another night of trying to track down this Spider-Man to look forward too. One would think someone in a colorful costume swinging through the city would be easy to track down.  
  
Spider-Man’s movement through the city was erratic, not conforming to any coherent pattern. Clearly, the Fang’s new enemy was a master of evasion. For now, she amused herself with a copy of her favorite book. Ignoring Tukson’s look of disapproval she engrossed herself in the tale of Sosuke and Naruko’s forbidden love.  
  
“You know I do have shelves that need stocking.” Tuckson suggested, “might be a better use of your time than reading that trash.” Blake felt her cheeks warm,  
  
“It’s not trash, it’s art!” Misunderstood art, that happened to contain beautifully written moments of passion. It was an old argument of theirs and one that Blake enjoyed at times. It made her feel...normal; at this moment she was just a teen defending something she enjoyed from an older relative, “besides do you even get any real customers?”  
  
“Occasionally,” He replied and as if to vindicate him someone actually came in, “Welcome to Tukson’s Book Trade, home to every book under the sun.” She noticed her Uncle used the greeting with a little more enthusiasm than normal, “Can I help you find anything?”  
  
“Just a sec Nora,” The customer said into his scroll, “Do you have any scientific textbooks, sir?”  
  
“New or used?” Blake gave the customer a quick look over while he was distracted. Human, late teens, civilian from the looks of it. He was fairly plain looking; lean build, brown hair, and brown eyes.  
  
“Used please,” He replied, Tukson directed him to used book section where resumed his conversion. Blake decided to listen in to make sure this place wasn’t compromised “listen Nora I’m afraid your idea is impossible within the present limits of the field.”  
  
“ _He sounds apologetic,”_ Blake noted, _“This Nora must another student, maybe he’s discussing some theory or project with her?”_ That didn’t sound interesting enough to completely divert her attention from her book.  
  
“ _Maybe_ one day it might be possible to “science up” a giant monster to defend Vale from the Grimm, just not anytime soon.” Blake blinked not certain if she heard that right. Perhaps a lack of context wasn’t helping, “But even when it does we need to consider the ethics of creating such a life form.” Was this a serious conversation? “Also from what I’ve heard freezing breath would be way more effective than the fire breath against the Grimm.”  
  
_'What the...?'_ She glanced over to Tukson with a questioning expression, he interacted more with humans than her. Maybe this was typical for their species? He just shrugged clearly just as confused. Blake, however, realized something: ' _I don’t personally know any humans yet I want to bridge the divide between our people.”_ she glanced over at the boy who was still talking about the merits of a monster that could breathe ice, _'Maybe I need to change that? He’s a civilian, so he might be a good way to gauge how the average person views the Faunus. He’s interested in science so that has to mean he’s intelligent.'_  
  
“Well, _that_ idea is a little more feasible but still out of the reach of modern genetics.” He examined a well-used textbook on the practical applications of Dust, “Besides Nora, I don’t think you need a flying mount to strike terror into the hearts of your enemies.” Blake found herself reconsidering trying to socialize with this particular human, “Oh he’s back already? Say hi to me,” the boy smiled as he continued to examine books on various subjects, “alright I will see you guys Saturday.” With an expression of good-natured amusement, he hung up the scroll devoting his full attention to the wall of battered books.  
  
' _Maybe Nora is an over imaginative little sister?'_ Blake wondered, the conversation actually made some sense in that context. A context that actually made the bizarre talk oddly endearing the more she thought about it. She decided not to write off trying to be social with him and wait for an opportunity to strike up a conversation. Pretending to continue reading her book she observed as he left the used book section as went to the front. She mentally went through the genres available in that section, mostly YA novels, recent best sellers, and lastly what the boy actually seemed to be interested in... "Comic books? Are you serious?" She blurted out before realizing that might not have been the best way to start a conversation. The boy looked at her in complete surprise before narrowing his eyes at her.  
  
"Yes I am," He replied bluntly before tilting his head, "and I seriously think someone reading something called _"Ninjas of Love"_ shouldn't be so quick to judge other people's choice of reading material."  
  
“That came out wrong!” Blake said hoping this endeavor could somehow be salvaged. If she couldn’t manage small talk with a single human what hope was there for establishing a dialogue between peoples? Her Uncle watching this unfold with mild amusement wasn't particularly encouraging.  
  
“I sorta figured that,” He said dryly, “most people follow an opener like that with at least one insult before I’m able to fire back.”  
  
“I wasn’t trying to insult you!” Blake looked down at the ground feeling dejected, “I was just trying...never mind...I’m sorry.” She hoped he would just leave but he seemed to be just standing there, probably staring at her.  
  
“ _Please don’t let me regret this,_ ” She heard him say in a pleading tone under his breath. Human ears wouldn’t have been able to pick up those words. The feline ones under her bow, however, heard them with crystal clarity, “Would you like to start over?” He asked clearly hesitant but making an effort to sound friendly. When she looked up he walked over to her, “I’m Peter,” he held out his hand to her, “Peter Parker.”  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
Peter didn’t know if this was a good idea but he really got the impression she hadn’t intended to be insulting. What she really intended he had no clue and that poker face wasn’t helping. He also got distracted by her clothing which was strange even by Remnant’s standards. Her outfit was bizarre; like some sort of goth tuxedo, the bow on her head was kinda cute, however.  
  
The Final Fantasy-esque gun-sword on her back on the other hand not so much. That wasn’t really unusual in Vale, people here carried weapons with an openness that even the most pro-gun Texan would find off-putting. He would never forget standing in line at a coffee shop behind someone with an over-sized sword on his back.  
  
“I’m Blake,” The girl said taking his hand at last, “Blake Belladonna.”  
  
“That’s pretty a name,” He commented, “it’s almost poetic.” Honestly, he had to admit she was a very pretty girl; long jet black hair, pale olive skin, and piercing amber eyes. Eyes that seemed to be analyzing him, if he were back on Earth he’d wonder she was a telepath. But his research implied that just wasn’t a thing here on Remnant.  
  
“Thank you,” She responded finally with a shrug, “Your name is, well, umm”  
  
“It’s pretty plain,” he replied saving her the trouble,“goes with the rest of me.” he added, a bit of self-deprecating humor always went over well, “So, what was that before about?”  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
_'What’s that human expression? The ball’s in my court now?'_ Blake supposed that explaining this started as step one in a poorly thought out plan wouldn’t go over well. So she thought of something else, the thing that triggered her outburst, “I don’t have a high opinion of comics, especially superhero comics.”  
  
“Really? I’d never have figured that out on my own.” Peter replied in an amused tone, he held up his hands when she glared at him, “Sorry I’m a bit of a smart ass.”  
  
“Really? I’d never have figured that out on my own.” Blake retorted, rather than irritation Peter regarded her with respect. She supposed a little repartee was fun in small doses, “Anyways, what I intended,” She lied, “was to ask: what is the appeal?”  
  
“Well,” He started, “for starters superhero comics are fun. They offer excitement, action, humor, and drama. But they're more," Blake raised an eyebrow, "superheroes are about bringing hope to the hopeless, overcoming impossible situations, always knowing right from wrong, and standing up to injustice instead of turning a blind eye."  
  
"A real person could never be all of that all the time." Blake stated,  
  
"Probably not," He admitted, "in fact, some idiot putting on a costume and going out to save the day would probably screw up as much as he succeeded." Blake wondered what he thought of Spider-Man but wondered if this was a chance to test the waters regarding something else.  
  
"So it's a medium to enjoyed but not to expect anything serious from?"  
  
"Comics can be used to explore serious issues." Peter said defensively,  
  
“Really?” Blake asked, “How so?”  
  
“Well, it depends on the issue really.”  
  
“Faunus rights?” She kept her tone casual, her expression unchanging while paying very close attention to his reaction. Tukson now looked mildly panicked while Peter simply looked thoughtful, _'He didn’t react with laughter or disgust, that's something.'_  
  
“Create a comic about a faunus superhero,” Was this an attempt at humor? While she knew works of fiction could have a profound impact on culture this was just moronic, “He or she can do the classic superhero stuff in costume but in their regular life show them dealing with the crap most faunus have to endure. Kids pick it up for the super-heroics and get educated on society's unfair double standard."  
  
_'I find a human who wants equality for the Faunus and he's a naive manchild.'_ Blake thought feeling her ears flatten and decided to point out one of the flaws in this idea. Gesturing at the issue of _X-Ray and Vav_ he held to help make her point, "No bigoted parent will buy it once they see a faunus on the cover."  
  
"Hmm...have the covers only showing the hero in full body suit so the parents suspect nothing."  
  
"But once they know what it's about they'll tell their children not to read it."  
  
"That'll only make most kids want to read it more." Peter countered,  
  
"That is...surprisingly underhanded now that I think about it." Blake admitted feeling like she had really misjudged Peter. Undeniably strange but perhaps a little less naive then she assumed at first. That, in turn, made her dream feel a little less naive.  
  
"You sound almost impressed."  
  
"Almost," She replied and smirked, "I still don't think I'm going to be a fan of superheroes anytime soon."  
  
"Well, I don't think I'm going to be cracking open _Ninjas of Love_ anytime soon." Blake felt her face heat up, she had completely forgotten that he had seen her beloved book.  
  
"That's good!" Blake blurted out to Peter's obvious confusion "It's very...symbolic...you wouldn't understand it."  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
A few minutes later Peter placed the stack of used textbooks and comics on the counter for the man at the register, Tukson he presumed, began to ring them up. He noticed the man had the same hair and eye color as Blake. Were they related?  
  
“Did you find everything you were looking for?” Peter started to say no but felt the temptation to ask:  
  
“ _Do you have any copies of Ninjas of Love available?”_ But stopped himself. Peter knew the real reason Blake didn’t want him to read that book. Obviously, it was a silly romance book she was embarrassed to like. It was kind of cute thinking about it; a broody, quiet, sword-wielding girl who hid a fondness for mushy love stories. After paying more than he had planned on for the books he headed out.  
  
“It would be nice to see you here again Peter.” Blake commented but not bothering to look up from her book, “This dump needs all the customers it can get.”  
  
“Sure Blake,” Peter replied, “it’s important to support local businesses.” He couldn't afford to shop here often but it would be it would interesting to see Blake again soon.  
  
  
  
**Notes:**  
  
  
  
[1] He's a feline type Faunus with the same hair and eye color as Blake who owns a bookstore. It doesn't feel like too much of a stretch to imagine they're related, in this story he's Kali's younger brother. Why? He's described as a puma by Emerald...which is just another term for cougar! In all seriousness probably not canon.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**  
  
  
  
From the roof of a nearby building, Blake watched the Valish police try to cut down a would-be mugger. The victim, a fellow faunus, described the events to an officer. A story that was becoming more common across the capital. Where ever people found themselves in trouble be it a from a mugger, a runaway car, or some other threat this hero swung in to help them. There was no pattern to those he helped, young and old, rich and poor, human and faunus.  
  
“He thwarts our efforts to free our people from human oppression yet he rushes in to save one us from some random street mugger.” Adam seethed as he also observed the scene, “What is Spider-Man’s agenda?”  
  
“Odds are he doesn’t have one,” Blake replied thinking on her earlier talk with Peter.  
  
“What do you mean by that?” Adam asked that threw her for a loop. He rarely asked for things these days. Everything was a demand or an order these days, “Blake if you have some thought on this I’d like to hear it.”  
  
“If you think about it superheroes are a modern re-imagining of your typical fairy tale knight. A wandering hero who does good for it’s own sake whenever the opportunity presents itself.” Blake explained, “Spider-Man may simply be leaping into action when he sees people endangered or some wrong being committed.”  
  
“Our brothers and sisters were doing nothing wrong.” Adam now had a hint of suspicion in his voice. For a moment she thought she saw a bit of her old mentor resurface but the anger and paranoia were still present.  
  
“Wrong from his point of view,” Blake said quickly, “I made the comparison to fairy tales for a reason. This is someone with a very simplistic outlook on the world. He probably takes pride in helping one of our people,” She explained looking back at said man expressing relief at being rescued, “while oblivious to the fact that by thwarting the White Fang’s efforts,” Blake couldn’t help but think of the increasing pile of dead left in the wake of such efforts. She continued placating Adam while finding no comfort herself, “he’s unwittingly keeping the entirety of our people in bondage.”  
  
“That makes sense,” Adam admitted, “it lines up with everything we’ve seen so far. I suppose we’ll have to show Spider-Man how the real world works when we find him.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Blake kept her face and voice dispassionate despite the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
  
“We’re just going to hurt him, Blake,” Adam stated bluntly, “just badly enough that he understands interfering with my revolution won’t end well for him.”  
  
“You’re not going to kill him?” The catgirl hoped she managed to sound more surprised than relieved, “Why?”  
  
“The webbing, the spider motif, and helping that man,” he pointed down the faunus Spider-Man had helped, “He’s one of us, an arachnid type obviously and I’d rather not spill the blood of our own.”  
  
“I hadn’t considered that possibility,” Blake privately hoped he wasn’t, that he, like that Parker boy, was a human willing to help her people. On the other hand, Adam might not be as merciful if that was the case. Thinking of Peter ironically made her believe it more likely that Spider-Man was one of their own.  
  
"The only problem with that theory is why interfere with us?" Adam wondered, "What does he hope to gain."  
  
_"No bigoted parent will buy it once they see a faunus on the cover."  
  
'Hmm...have the covers only showing the hero in full body suit so the parents suspect nothing.'_  
  
“Maybe he’s hoping to gain acceptance for our people?” Blake suggested thinking about Peter idea for a faunus superhero.  
  
“We are the voice of our people!” Adam seethed, “How does fighting us help our people?”  
  
“I don't know!" Blake exclaimed not certain why her self-control faltered. Adam stared at her and not for the first time wished he didn't wear that damn mask all the time, "Like I've said: he probably views the world in very simple terms.”  
  
"You did already say that," Her superior admitted before something caught his attention. Following his gaze she saw smoke rising from another part of the residential district, "Put your mask on!" he ordered, "If your right this hero won't be able to stop himself from going there!" Blake nodded and did as she was told. As she followed him she tried to take comfort in the fact that this wouldn't end in bloodshed. Tried to find comfort in the glimpses of the man had trained her, who had been her friend. Maybe the man was finally starting to win out against the beast[1].  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
For many sirens and the smell of smoke were something to run away from, not towards. Ruby Rose, future Huntress, though ran towards the burning building. The little warrior arrived on the scene in a whirlwind of rose petals. The crowd of gathered bystanders cheered leaving her confused,  
  
“That looked cool but I haven’t do-” She trailed off when she realized no one had even noticed her. Ruby guessed they were cheering because everyone had already been rescued. Making her way through the crowd she felt disappointed in herself. Wasn’t a hero supposed to arrive in time to make a difference?  
  
“That was amazing!” One person said,  
  
“Amazing? More like spectacular!” Exclaimed another,  
  
“I...I thought he was just a joke.” A third person said quietly, Ruby got to the front of the crowd,  
  
“What is everyon-ohmygoditshim!” Ruby squeed when she saw who everyone was talking about: Vale’s very own superhero had shown up to save the day. She watched in awe as he was thanked by the people he had saved. He seemed so humble about all the praise like so many of the heroes from her stories. The next thing she focused on was the costume which, despite being tattered, somehow seemed even more dashing than it was in the pictures.  
  
Ruby could go on all day about how much she liked it and once had until Yang started had started beating her with a pillow. She admired the sleek design since it ensured movement wasn’t in any way impeded not because it, as her sister had suggested, "left little to the imagination". Then the inspiring bright red and blue contrasted by the striking black web design emanating from the black spider symbol on his chest. Oh, she could think of ways to improve it [2] but the basic look was amazing.  
  
_'I'm so going to ask for his autograph!'_ Ruby decided fishing out a newspaper she had purchased earlier, the front page devoted to Spider-Man," _Now I just need to find a pen!"_  
  
"I'm just glad could I could help out people." Ruby heard him say, looking she saw he'd disentangled himself from the grateful crowd, "Well I'm sure I'm needed elsewhere," _Thwip!_ He fired a strand of webbing and swung away off to Ruby's disappointment.  
  
"Oh no! Not yet!" She cried and gave chase after Spider-Man, "Please I just found a pen!"  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
In Spider-Man’s experience being a hero usually meant the good deed was it’s own reward. You learned to not always expect little things like “thank you”, adoration, or law enforcement to abide by “ask questions first, shoot later”. When one or more of the above happened on occasion though it was something he treasured.  
  
It really made all the crap he went through worth it. In Vale, it seemed to happen more often than back home. Those people he had pulled out of the burning building practically swarmed him. The firemen had been grateful for his help and the crowd had cheered for him.  
  
“You know I think I’m really starting to like Vale.” Peter admitted as continue on his patrol, “I don’t if it’ll ever really be home but I could see myself being happy here.” As if the universe were responding to him being happy his spider-sense went off. On instinct, he let go of the web-line narrowly avoiding something that sliced through the webbing before being pulled back on the length of rope.  
  
Spider-Man landed atop a streetlight and looked around; it was a fairly run-down part of the residential district. The streets were oddly deserted save one figure approaching him. A figure in a Grimm mask and carrying a sheathed katana. A sheath that was also a shotgun because of course it was! Peter did have to give the guy points for the stylish red and black suit. The man’s fiery red hair and horns forced Peter to choke back the obvious and possibly racist _Red Bull_ joke that could be made.  
  
“Hello tall, dark, and broody,” Peter greeted him as cheerfully as possible, “don’t we look important. I bet unlike the last batch of goons you at least have a cool nickname!” The man’s emotionless face twitched, “I bet it’s Crimson McEdgelord isn’t it?”  
  
“I am Adam Taurus, le-”  
  
“Oh my gosh you have an actual name!?” Spider-Man exclaimed cutting him off while being on guard for the slightest tingle of his spider-sense. He knew this guy wasn’t alone, the weapon that cut his web-line was different than the one smiley here used, “You must be important! The guy with a chainsaw just had a rank! How high up the White Fang ladder are you?”  
  
“I am the White Fang![3]” He was getting pissed, always a good thing in Spider-Man’s book. Pissed meant sloppy and he needed every advantage he could get. Being honest with himself Peter was worn out from the rescue effort earlier, “and _we_ are here to help you understand the consequences of interfering with our operations.”  
  
“We?” Peter feigned surprise, Adam used a hand gesture Peter had seen SWAT and SHIELD teams use. He believed it was code for “sick’em”, something reinforced by that awaited tingle. Spider-Man flipped over to the to streetlight across the narrow street just as something metallic whirled out of the darkness and back like a boomerang. His senses flared again warning him of danger from below. Adam in a burst of speed ran up the pole and draw his red-bladed sword nearly cleaving him in two. Peter barely had time to react,  
  
_'Brings new meaning to the whole "gives you wings" slogan.'_ Peter thought as he landed on all fours and made use of agility to put distance between himself and Adam. Unfortunately, Adam's little helper darted out from the shadows to join the fray. He caught only glimpses of her as she went at him with a pair of blades. One was katana with a pistol for a handle and the other some kind of cleaver. The black and white clad attacker herself moved with incredible speed and dancer-like grace. She managed to give him several lacerations on his torso while he hadn't landed any blows on her. The real her at least; he kept hitting her...shadow clones? _"Kishimoto's gonna sue somebody!"_ His spider-sense seemed to be the only reason he was still in one piece _._ As suddenly as it began the assault stopped with his attacker halting in her tracks  
  
"You're...you're bleeding!" Normally her sheer bewilderment at someone bleeding after being sliced and diced would be something Peter might have made a crack or two about. Recognition of first her voice and then from finally getting a clear look at her. The Grimm mask was a worse disguise than Clark Kent's, especially since there was no mistaking that bow and goth tuxedo. It was her, the strange girl from the bookstore, Blake Belladonna.  
  
**  
  
Notes**

[1] A little on the nose I admit  
[2] Ruby will eventually get to share her ideas for improving Pete's costume.  
[3] I know Adam isn't actually the leader of the White Fang at this point, this is his delusions of grandeur talking.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**  
  
  
  
Spider-Man stood there bleeding from the wounds she had inflicted on him. He seemed visibly worn out, not just from the fight but his efforts to save all those people. She and her mentor had watched as he repeatedly went into that burning building. After watching that Blake couldn’t deny there was a good if odd, person under that mask.  
  
_'A good person who probably doesn’t deserve this,'_ She thought looking at Adam who observed the situation. She tried to find comfort in his claim that he wasn’t going to kill Spider-Man. There was no comfort to be found. It just felt wrong, the feline faunus found herself wanting to just run. But she wanted to make sure Adam didn’t go overboard for once.  
  
Not helping with those feelings was the way Spider-Man seemed to stare at her. He didn’t even acknowledge his wounds. She really wished he didn’t wear that ridiculous mask so she could get a better read on him. His body language indicated surprise but beyond that, she couldn’t be sure.  
  
“What are you staring at!?” Blake kept her tone harsh and her weapons ready to avoid giving Adam even a hint of her doubts.  
  
“A crazy girl expressing amazement that I’m bleeding after she tried to carve me like a turkey.” Spider-Man replied then fired webbing at the katana component of Gambol Shroud, “If you’re really that surprised you probably shouldn’t be handling sharp objects.”  
  
' _He hasn’t noticed the ribbon which means I can end this fight quickly.'_ Blake released her grip on the sword just as the superhero yanked the web-line. With a flick of her wrist, she looped the ribbon around him and pulled. Spider-Man dug his heels in and took hold of the ribbon. Blake smirked as the superhero pulled back with enough strength to yank her off her feet. Flying towards him she used aura to alter her position midair so could deliver a high-speed kick to her opponent's head.  
  
“Oh shi-!” Spider-Man bent over backwards nearly avoiding the blow. For all his apparent lack of discipline, she had to admit his reaction time was impressive. With another flick of the wrist, she managed to loop the ribbon around the wall-crawler's throat as momentum carried her forward. Spider-Man audibly gagged as the ribbon tightened around throat bringing Blake to a halt.  
  
Landing on her feet the feline faunus yanked hard on the ribbon causing Spider-Man to stumble but not fall back like she hoped. So she charged him instead, cleaver in hand. The wall-crawler whirled around and managed to fire a strand of webbing her way. Wanting to conserve aura she ducked instead of using a clone. It felt like it grazed the top of her head but didn’t stick for some reason. As she took a swing at Spider-Man she felt the cool night air on her secondary ears.  
  
' _Dammit.'_ She thought as the broad side of her blade connected with his temple. Once again locked in close quarters with they traded blows. Seeing as he apparently had no aura she opted for kicks and the blunter parts of her weapons. Spider-Man, on the other hand, seemed to be stepping up his offensive. He moved faster and hit harder than before making it clear he had been holding back, especially with the ribbon still around his throat. Was he conserving energy? Or was following the idea of superheroes showing restraint. That was one facet of comics she remembered from her childhood. Regardless of why Blake found herself being put more on the defensive. With a hard kick to her abdomen, Blake was knocked back giving Spider-Man time to disentangle himself from the ribbon.  
  
"It's nice to be able to breathe again!" He exclaimed rubbing his throat, "We seriously need to work out a safe word." Despite everything, Blake felt her cheeks warm. How could he make jokes with everything that was going on? Was it bravado or madness? "I suggest...huh," he stopped, "I thought I saw that bow twitch." He turned to Adam and placed his hand hands on his hip striking a pose, "And me thinking she was proof that the White Fang was an organization advocating for equal opportunity employment!" His tone was one of mock outrage, "You couldn't even have a few token humans for show? That's just racist!"  
  
_'That settles it: he's insane.'_ Blake thought before she saw Adam's expression; he had watched the fight with arms folded and a detached, calculating expression. No doubt watching to find weaknesses to exploit in Spider-Man's case or to correct in hers. Now his mouth was slightly agape, his brow furrowed in clear confusion. A feeling she shared along with mounting anger, the White Fang was about fighting racism!  
  
Yet almost as quickly as the anger came it faded as she realized how much truth there was to Spider-Man's accusation. It may have been a joke on his part but weren't the greatest comedians said to be able to make you realize important truths with their humor? There had been human members back when her fa-, back in the more peaceful days of the organization. Most had left as the organization became more violent with more than a few disappearing altogether.  
  
"Blake!" Adam barked, his anger having won out over his confusion. Seeing him ready his weapon she hoped he remembered the plan wasn't to kill Spider-Man, "We take him together!"  
  
"Well," Spider-Man said his indicating some awareness of how much trouble he was in, "I think it's now even more important to work out that safe word."  
  
_'Or not.'_  
  
“Enough!” Her mentor snarled as he went at Spider-Man in a blur of motion. His anger must be getting the better of him. Normally Blake would attack first creating a distraction so he could land his more devastating attacks. A necessity as the still intact Spider-Man demonstrated by managing to narrowly avoid being bisected. Adam was capable of incredible bursts of _linear_ speed, he just lacked maneuverability at high velocity.  
  
“Remember what you said on the roof,” Blake pleaded hoping he’d restrain himself if reminded of his belief that Spider-Man was one of their own. Adam nodded before sheathing his blade and motioned his plan of attack to her. She remembered a time when he had to keep _her_ from being reckless.  
  
“Fine,” he said, sounding more like he doing it to indulge her than any sense of morality on his part. Another sign that perhaps there was nothing left for her in the White Fang.  
  
_'Just focus on the mission, make sure Spider-Man survives this,'_ she told herself as she joined Adam in attacking said hero, _'Once this mission is done you can weigh your options.'_  
  
“Both of you at once!?” Spider-Man exclaimed in what sounded like genuine shock, “That goes against all the supervillain rules!” To his credit, he managed to barely their blows, though just barely. To be fair neither she nor Adam was used to subduing aura-less opponents, “You’re supposed to attack one at a tim-”  
  
“Do you ever quit talking!?”Adam yelled as he smashed the butt of his shotgun across Spider-Man’s face. Blake herself took advantage of the opening delivering a hard kick to the gut. The wall-crawler tried to fire webbing at her but nothing came out,  
  
“Seriously!?” Spider-Man cried out, Blake seized the opportunity by pistol-whipped him. Adam slugged him, they then attacked in tandem. She went with blows that would incapacitate most aura-less opponents. Yet their opponent seemed determined to stand and keep on fighting despite being visibly worn down.  
  
“Anything funny to say now, hero?” Adam asked mockingly,  
  
“The Lieutenant hit harder,” Spider-Man responded without missing a beat only to get kicked to the ground for it. As struggled to get up back up he kept running his mouth, “And he didn’t need a sidekick to help him nearly beat my ass.”  
  
_'Adam’s gonna kill him.'_ Blake realized seeing her mentor’s expression, stepping between him and Spider-Man. The feline faunus pointed her gun at the hero hoping to end this before it got worse. He was bloodied, beaten, and down on the ground yet he was still trying to get back up. She couldn’t decide if she found it admirable or bullheaded.  
  
“If you keep moving I’ll put a bullet in your shoulder,” She tried to sound cold while flicking off the safety of her gun. “just...stop, we’re not here to kill you.”  
  
“Maybe it’s the blood loss, being choked, and the possible concussion but I have a hard time believing that,” He said looking up at her, Blake thought she could feel him glaring through that mask.  
  
“Trust us, _hero_ ,” Adam said as he strolled over to them, thankfully he seemed to have calmed down, “if I wanted you dead you would be, we’re here to give you a warning.”  
  
“Just a warning? Don’t you guys usually just execute people?” He asked making no attempt to hide his contempt, "Why do I get a free pass?" he quickly added, “Not that I’m complaining.”  
  
“Well, given your arachnid motif and the fact that you've help faunus on occasion it seems likely you're one of us under that mask." Her teacher then gestured to her, "Blake here even suggested this ridiculous get-up might be some misguided attempt at winning acceptance for our people." The wall-crawler looked at Adam and then turned to look at her,  
  
"I didn't know arachnid faunus were even a thing," Spider-Man said quietly, Blake felt her stomach sink fearing he may have just signed his own death warrant. "the only faunus I've seen ever seen had mammalian features." Looking back at her he added "As for your crackpot theory _Blake_ ," He practically spat her name, "when I help someone in need, anyone, it's because it's the right thing to do." He stated bluntly, "Have either of you heard of that? The right thing?" Blake ignored his words as best she could, her attention was on her superior. She had no clue what he would do now that he knew whoever was under that mask was human.  
  
"It was just like you said, Blake."Adam gripped the hilt of his katana, "Someone with a simplistic outlook on the world... But still. Out of respect for the token gestures of kindness you've shown our people, we're not going to kill you, just hurt you very badly. Specifically..."  
  
Adam pointed at her.  
  
" _She_ is."  
  
  



	10. Chapter Nine

> **Chapter Nine**  
>   
>   
>   
>  “She is.”  
>   
>  _'You know Adam',_ Peter thought to himself, ' _I’m starting to get the feeling you’re an asshole.'_ Joking aside, he knew this was a bad situation about to get worse. Injured and running on fumes there weren’t too many ways out of this mess. His only ace in the hole was that only one of his web shooters was out of fluid.  
>   
> He was seriously getting sick and tired of this kind of thing happening to him. If he got out of this he would need to look into figuring out a way to better track the amount of web fluid in his shooters. Maybe some kind of ammo gauge? Given what he had seen of Remnant technology that should be easy enough.  
>   
> “What?” A small voice broke the brief but uncomfortable silence that had descended on the conveniently empty street, “Why Adam?”  
>   
> “Because Blake,” The White Fang leader respond as he circled them both, “you’ve been different lately. You’ve been distant from our brothers and sisters, now you hesitate to take action against a human who has wronged us.”  
>   
> “He hasn’t wronged us!” She argued, “I..I mean not really. None of our operatives were killed in that operation he foiled!”  
>   
> “You’re making excuses Blake.” Adam’s voice sounded blunt and more than a little pissed, “He has acted against us and by doing so the entirety of our people!” Peter considered trying to make his move but held back. Maybe it was something in her voice or Adam’s own doubts in his ninja lackey.  
>   
>  _'Maybe I just don’t want to think I was completely fooled back at the book shop.'_ He wondered as looked up at the strange catgirl. She was paying more attention to Adam than him. This was his chance to make a move, maybe his last one. Yet all he could think about was the way she stepped in between him and Adam. The way her voice cracked as she threatened to shoot him. Maybe there was a good person in there? Wasn’t that worth taking a chance on?  
>   
>  _Some days it really sucks being the good guy._ He thought before pissing away his one opportunity to get away.  
>   
> “We have the _right_ to avenge the injustices committed against our people!” Adam snarled, “How can you defend any of them!? They’re all guilty and they all! Must! Pay!” Blake took a step back visibly horrified as if she had no clue the guy was _this_ loony.  
>   
>  “You know on some level he’s not wrong.” Spider-Man said finally, “ _Man I sound like shit.”_ He thought before continuing since he now had their undivided attention, “Don’t me wrong it’s a small kernel of truth in popcorn bag full of crazy. It’s wrong how your people are treated and I think a lot of other humans feel it’s wrong too.”  
>   
> “If that’s true then why do they stand by and let it go on!?” Blake demanded, Adam began circling them again, “Why do they allow my people be exploited!? Why do they allow us to be treated like lesser beings!?  
>   
> “It’s so easy to stand by when a wrong is being committed, pretend it’s not your problem or isn’t happening! Speaking from experience here.” He admitted, to his surprise Blake’s anger visibly dissipated so hopefully something was clicking with her. Which was good since her boss had stopped behind him. “To quote someone smarter than any of us: when we see an injustice and have the power to make it right we have the _responsibility_ to act.”  
>   
> “What a self-serving pile of sentimental tripe.” He heard Adam sneer from behind him, “He just trying to spare himself from the pain not understanding that if you don’t do this Blake I will kill him.” The look on Blake’s face made it clear to him that Adam was serious. “Plea-” Peter cut her off knowing this would end badly for him:  
>   
> “Don’t worry about me Blake just run!” His spider-sense flared like a star about go nova followed by an involuntary sound escaping from his throat. Peter was dimly aware of someone screaming as he looked down the sword tip sticking out through his abdomen just before it was pulled back out. Raising his head back up he saw Blake with tears running down her face.  
>   
>  _'I hope she doesn’t blame herself for this',_ Peter thought as he watched her raven hair move with the breeze and rose petals swirl about her, ' _the guilt from something like this can eat you alive from the ins-wait rose petals?'_ Something must have slammed into Taurus because the White Fang leader was sent a good ten feet down the street kissing pavement the whole way. Followed by a voice snarling out:  
>   
> “ **GET AWAY FROM HIM!”** Then came a whirlwind of rose petals that coalesced into the form of a small figure in a hooded, red cloak. The figure grabbed him before pulling out some kind of high tech rifle and fired at Blake and Adam. Peter became aware of two things: Firstly, the gun sounded like something straight from the Master Chief’s arsenal. Secondly, the recoil from the weapon was apparently enough to launch them both back at high speed. Coming to a stop Peter found himself in the arms of his rescuer who gently set him down. The figure knelt before and threw the hood back revealing...it was someone he didn't know. She was just a kid, no older than fifteen, with dark, maybe brown, hair and large silver eyes.  
>   
>  “I’m so sorry they hurt you Mister Spider-Man,” She told him in a voice that sounded nothing like the inhuman snarl from seconds before, “I should have been here faster!”  
>   
> “First off, Mister Spider-Man was my father,” That got a small smile from her, "Secondly; don't worry about it," With a bit of webbing he stopped up the abdominal wound, "I've been through worse. Thirdly...who are you?" She smiled brightly and introduced herself:  
>   
> "I'm Ruby," her rifle began to shift and unfold like something out of _Transformers_ until it was twice her size. It's alternate form was revealed to be a wicked looking mech-scythe that she carried on her shoulder without any trouble, "Ruby Rose."
> 
>  

 


	11. Chapter Ten

> **Chapter Ten**  
>   
>   
>   
>  “I’ve got this Spider-Man!” Ruby proclaimed confidently while striking a pose with Crescent Rose. Being Huntress/Huntsmen was being a symbol of hope and comfort to those in need. Turning away from him her demeanor became more serious.  
>   
> This wasn’t going to be like those spars at Signal or fighting Beowulfs on Patch. Spider-Man could barely stand, he really needed a doctor but she doubted these two would just let her take him. The two creeps definitely weren’t pushovers judging by what they had done to him.  
>   
> The cat faunus’s swords were responsible for most of the lacerations he sustained. Either she had done most of the fighting or the other one was really slow. Right now she had this weird deer caught in the headlights look. The one with horns was focused completely on her as he sheathed his katana.  
>   
> He may have been a monster but Ruby had to admit he had a well-designed weapon. The burn dust blade would probably do a number on aura. A gun-sheath? Those were pretty rare, was it designed to launch the blade at people? But wouldn’t that leave him with only his gun unless...her train of thought got derailed when she put the disparate pieces of information together.  
>   
> “Do you have any clue who I am?” As matter of fact, she did!  
>   
> “You’re Adam Taurus! the leader of Vale’s chapter of the White Fang!” Inspired by the very hero she now protected Ruby had compiled a database of the Kingdom’s most wanted. In the form of a binder with newspaper clippings. She remembered the headlines relating to this creep “You’ve hurt so many people.”  
>   
> “I’ve done a lot more than “hurt” people.” He replied dryly and actually _smiled_ making her blood boil. Ruby shifting her baby back to rifle mode opened fire. Instead of dodging Adam charged the barrage deflecting shots with his red-bladed katana. She used the last bullet in the cartridge to evade taking a hit from the sword.  
>   
>  Ruby just managed to replace the empty ammo clip before he was on top of her. A quick burst of speed ensures the only thing he managed slice were rose petals. Adam pursued her with a single-mindedness that made his Grimm mask even more creepily appropriate. The silver-eyed huntress zig-zagged across the street leaving petals and casings in her wake. Her enemy came to a halt and looked away from her,  
>   
> "BLA..." Adam's voice trailed off and he began to tremble with rage. Wondering what his problem Ruby followed his gaze. Where that Cat Faunus had been standing there was only her shattered mask, almost like it had been thrown down, "You cowardly, traitorous, little cu-!"  
>   
> Ruby stopped him from using the word even Uncle Qrow said was bad with a bullet to the face. She allowed herself a smirk as he was knocked off his feet by the force of the shot.  
>  _  
> 'I wonder where that other faunus went?'_  
>   
>   
>   
>  \---xxx---  
>   
>   
>   
>  _'...Blake.'_ Peter stared where the faunus girl had been moments ago. She must have bolted during Ruby’s skirmish with Crimson McEdgelord. _I did tell her to run...wouldn’t have bothered me then but now Ruby’s life is on the line too. 'I’m going to have to jump back into this before something happens to her.'_  
>   
>  Finding it a struggle to stand he leaned against a parked car for support. Doing something would be easier said than done. It would very likely be the last thing he would do before he bled out or got eviscerated. Suddenly a hand clamped over his mouth somehow bypassing his spider sense.  
>   
> “It’s okay,” Blake whispered, “I’m going to treat your wounds.”  
>   
> Peter guessed lacking hostile intentions is why she didn’t set his senses off. He nodded, prompting her to remove her hand.  
>   
> “I appreciate that but I think Ruby needs help more than I do.” Sounds of gunfire from that bizarre weapon of hers' rang out, signaling the fight had resumed. With her red and black outfit and crazy speed, Peter wondered if Ruby was related to the Maximoff twins.  
>   
> “We have time, she’s keeping her distance,” Blake replied in a controlled tone as she examined the wound on his back. “I need you to apply some webbing to this.” She handed him a black piece of cloth that was torn from her outfit.  
>   
> Knowing time was factor Peter wasted none and complied. She applied the makeshift bandage to his back and then tied one of her ribbons around his waist.  
>   
> “I know this doesn’t even begin to make up for all this, but I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, none of this turned out the way I thought, I was so stupid.”  
>   
> Blake’s voice was quiet, but he could hear the anger, the regret, the self-loathing so clearly. A mix of emotions that Peter knew all too well. The emotions he had felt after the night when one stupid choice cost Uncle Ben his life. With that there was only one thing he really could say:  
>   
> “It’s okay,” He turned his head to look at her, “I forgive you, Blake.”  
>   
> The cat girl’s look of stunned surprise was utterly priceless.  
>   
> “Yo-what!? How can you say that so easily!? After everything, I did to you?”  
>   
> Seeing her look like she was about to cry on the other hand, not so much. He thought about deflecting with a joke but decided a little sincerity would be more appropriate. “Because I know a thing or two about stupid choices.”  
>   
> Ignoring the now inquiring look she was giving, Peter looked out at whirlwind of rose petals and asked: “So about your dickish ex-boss?”  
>   
>   
>   
> \---xxx---  
>   
>   
>   
>  _This guy is too much._  
>   
>  Ruby had used more bullets trying to stay ahead of the creep then actually just shooting at him. He just kept coming, it wasn’t even like fighting a person! It was like fighting some freakishly strong Grimm just self-aware enough to deflect gunfire. Was that why the White Fang wore those horrible masks?  
>   
> Pushing her semblance she managed to evade a powerful slash. Dad was always saying don’t be reckless. This felt like the kind of situation he was always trying to warn Yang and her to avoid. Saving Spider-Man was the right thing, but maybe trying to fight this guy wasn’t? Getting Vale’s super-hero to a doctor should’ve priority number one. Maybe she should’ve just grabbed him and ran?  
>   
>  _'I’m keeping one step ahead of him here, I could have gotten away.'_  
>   
>  She stopped and emptied a clip another so Adam could practice his deflection skills. The petite huntress-in-training also needed to catch her brief. Ruby decided to stop second guessing herself for now. She needed to change tactics, both dad and Uncle Qrow said that was a good thing to do in a situation like this!  
>   
>  _'And they never agree on anything!'_  
>   
>  Ruby shifted her baby to scythe mode and fired, the force of the recoil propelling her forward. She swung her pride and joy with all might. Then Adam moved faster than she could dream of, in a fluid motion he lunged forward and drew his sword. Ruby tried to course correct with her weapon but couldn’t in time.  
>   
> She hit the asphalt hard with her weapon landing several feet away. This guy hit almost as hard Uncle Qrow. Ruby scrambled for her weapon but a hard blow to the stomach knocked her back. Despite the pain, she glared even as her aura gave out.  
>  __  
> 'I really over did it'  
>   
>  Ruby refused to show fear as Adam advanced on her sheathing his blade. She wanted to be brave like she always imagined mom must have been at the end. Adam gripped the hilt of his katana before it was shot out of his hand without warning.  
>   
> Someone grabbed her and opened fire on the creep. Ruby found herself whisked away and place next to her beloved weapon. She looked up at her rescuer surprisingly it was the faunus girl! She was really confused and relieved at the same time. The silver-eyed redhead could only think of one thing to say:  
>   
> “Thank you,” the raven-haired girl looked as confused prompting Ruby to add “for saving me.”  
>   
> “Um...you’re welcome?” She sounded like someone not used to having nice things said to her. She sat Ruby down and handed her Crescent Rose, “How long until your aura re-”  
>   
> “TRAITOR!” Adam roared, he went for his sheathed weapon but a web-line pulled it away. The weapon sailed through the air into the waiting hands of Spider-Man. He clutched the weapon in a way that made it clear he had no clue how to handle them.  
>   
> “LIAR!” The super-hero yelled back in an accusing tone, “You said you “were the White Fang!” but you’re just the district manager!? Could you be any more of let down!? What happened to days of villains being honest with their boasting!?”  
>   
> “You’re bleeding out like a pig! how can even stand much less run-”  
>   
> “Hey, some pig faunus might find that comment very insensitive!” Despite everything, Ruby started laughing. Adam looked like he had been slapped with a wet fish. He let out a scream of not of rage this time but of exasperation.  
>   
> “WILL! YOU! SHUT! UP!”  
>   
> He charged at Spider-Man but was intercepted by the cat faunus. The raven-haired warrior assaulted her former boss with surprising ruthlessness. It confirmed Ruby suspicions that she was the one responsible for the bulk of Spider-Man’s wounds. Yet watching she couldn’t help but admire her skill. With cleaver and katana, she delivered a flurry of slashes. Ruby felt a familiar warmth surge through as a shroud of red light encased her body. The crimson-clad warrior leaped back to her feet with her baby in hand eager to join the fray. However, something in the corner of her vision made her freeze.  
>   
> Spider-Man, still clutching Adam's weapon for all his worth, seemed to be struggling just to stay on his feet.  
>   
> "SPIDER-MAN!?" He didn't even acknowledge her, instead dropping the weapon. It hit the ground, a heartbeat later Spider-Man did likewise. In a burst of speed she appeared at his side but before she could even check on his injuries another voice cried out:  
>   
> "NO!" It was the other girl who had only now become aware of what had happened. Then everything happened so fast; Adam kicked the raven-haired girl in the gut wresting her cleaver away. What Ruby fixated on though was the way the bull faunus's hair and parts of his clothing lit up. It reminded her of Yang powering up her semblance giving her a good idea of what was about to happen.  
>   
> Ruby grabbed Spider-Man as Adam readied the stolen sword before he seemed to vanish. The brunette used her own semblance to try and evade the incoming strike. The pavement where they both been moments ago exploded but when the dust settled she was shocked to see the White Fang's district manager face down on the ground.  
>   
> Ruby then noticed the black ribbon tied around his ankles her silver eyes followed it back to the other girl. She tugged on it returning the katana pistol to her grasp. Shifting it to a chain-scythe mode she aimed at Adam who struggling to his feet. The other girl didn't hesitate to open fire him.  
>   
> “Using his semblance-” Ruby morphed her weapon back to rifle mode and did likewise as she finished the sentence. She tried to ignore the slew of profanity her threw at them as his aura was worn out by the hail of gunfire.  
>   
> “Leaves him physically wrecked?” Feeling the cat faunus send her questioning glance she added: “I know someone with a semblance like that, oh I’m Ruby by the way.”  
>   
> “Uhm...I’m Blake.”  
>   
> “Nice to meet you, Blake!”  
>   
> With one last shot from Blake his aura shattered and at last, the fight was over.
> 
>  

 


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**  
  
  
  
Peter opened his eyes to find himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. The first thing he was aware of was that it was early morning judging by the lighting. The second thing was that he was shirtless apparently. The last thing, but far from least, he became aware of was that nearly every inch of him hurt like hell.  
  
He quickly got a better grasp of his current state: someone had sat him upright on a couch and had apparently given him medical care. His wounds had been stitched up and he had bandage just below the bend of his arm. Had someone given him a blood transfusion? Judging by how every inch of him hurt no one had bothered with anesthesia or it had worn off.  
  
_Still, this is not remotely the worst situation I’ve woken up to after losing consciousness in a fight. I still have my mask on but a friendly face wou-_  
  
He noticed Ruby sitting on a crate watched a muted television set. To his surprise, she wasn't a brunette like he'd thought last night. In the morning light he could see that her hair started out black at the roots and gradually faded to a crimson red at the tips. Through the lenses of his mask he could make out that it was some news channel. From what he could see Adam Taurus had been picked up by the police. Putting all the disparate pieces of information he came to the conclusion that Blake and Ruby had won.  
  
_No shit Sherlock, if Adam had won you wouldn’t have woken up at all...well you might have woken in a dungeon filled with sharp implements and Evanescence posters...wait where’s Blake!?_  
  
A small noise to his right answered his question and brought a smile to his face. Blake was on the couch next to him, she had compacted herself into a ball to fit. A familiar red cloak was draped over her like a blanket leaving only her head uncovered.  
  
Aside from her cat ears twitching she just looked so peaceful. It made quite a contrast to the various, almost contradictory, shades of her he had witnessed over the past twenty-four hours. People could be pretty complicated sure, but Blake was on a whole other level. Of course, that could be due to being torn between her conscience and whatever cult kool-aid the White Fang liked to serve at functions.  
  
_Well, that’s not completely fair: the faunus do get a pretty raw deal. No denying that, not as bad as mutants back home, but anything’s an improvement over crap like that Weapon X program or state-sponsored mass murder. Something needs to be done to change things._  
  
In that context, it really didn’t surprise him that so many mutants signed up with people like Magneto. Not that it justified that monster’s actions in the end. Images of that tidal wave hitting the city kept coming to the surface. Then Xavier’s desperate call for help...Strange dying...waking up beneath a broken moon. Peter buried his face in his hands trying to make the images go away.  
  
“Spider-Man?” Ruby was now in front of him with a look of concern on her face. “Did you have a bad dream?”  
  
“Something like that,” He answered, “So where are?”  
  
“My place,” A groggy voice to his right answered. Blake was now sitting upright blinking slowly, “I’ll explain in a bit.”  
  
“Morning Blake!” Ruby’s tone was cheerful yet Blake’s ears flattened and she regarded the brunette like she had grown a second head. He got the distinct impression she wasn’t a morning person. Her expression softened when she took a closer look at her “blanket”.  
  
“Good morning Ruby.” Blake handed the other girl back her cloak, “You were supposed to wake me for my shift after an hour.”  
  
“You seemed like you needed the rest and besides I’m not eve-” a small yawn escaped his throat, “tired.”  
  
“I’ll put on a pot of tea,” Blake’s movements lacking her typical grace reinforcing his assessment that she wasn’t a morning person, “We can talk after we’re all feeling a little more alert.”  
  
The tea proved to be as strong as any cup of coffee to Peter’s surprise. With his mask pulled up just enough to allow him to drink while listening to their accounts of what happened after he passed out. Blake’s recollection was delivered calmly while Ruby punctuated hers with sound effects. The one thing made clear by both accounts that he owed these two.  
  
“Wow...I thought I was supposed to be the superhero but you two might end up putting me out of a job.” Ruby beamed while Blake looked down at her cup, “So how did you two get me in here without anyone noticing?” He then asked another question popped into his mind, “And which one of you treated my wounds?”  
  
Blake and Ruby exchanged guilty looks before they both looked him at nervously.  
  
“Your injuries were too extensive for us to treat so I called someone with both the skills and a proper sense of discretion.” Peter really didn’t like how that sounded. Blake must have picked up on his discomfort, “We were both present while he worked and ensured your privacy was respected.”  
  
“So you called in a back alley doctor?” He looked down at his stitched up wounds, “Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but is he at least licensed to practice medicine?”  
  
“He is...just not on people.” Peter decided to just be thankful the guy didn’t neuter him, of course, that still left one question: “So how did you get me in here without anyone noticing?”  
  
“Not all stories answer every question raised.” Blake answered cryptically and became very interested in her tea. Ruby, on the other hand, looked guilty and ready to crack before she blurted out:  
  
“Would you like your weapons back?” Peter looked down at his wrists and indeed his web shooters were gone.  
  
“Uh sure,” In a burst of rose petals she vanished and reappeared, web shooters now in hand.  
  
“When did you take his gauntlets?” Blake asked,  
  
“After you went to sleep,” Ruby turned back to him, “it’s so neat that it functions without dust or even aura.”  
  
“Really? That’s impressive.” Blake commented,  
  
“Not really,” Spider-Man said a little dumbfounded, “you can do lots things without needing aura or magic glow rocks.”  
  
“If that were true the SDC wouldn’t a fraction of the power they have.” He noticed a trace of bitterness in her tone now. Ruby just looked confused at his statement. Peter had been here for roughly eight months, he thought he understood the basics of life in Remnant. He knew dust was a major energy source but was it the only energy source for the Kingdoms?  
  
_Questions for another time Parker._  
  
“Since you had time to examine his weapon did you run that errand?”  
  
“Yep!” Another burst of speed Ruby dropped a bag in his lap. Inside he was a hoodie, sweatpants, and sneakers. Nothing that would stand out in a crowd which was probably what Blake had in mind.  
  
“Again thank you, I seriously owe both of you.”  
  
“Considering I gave you most of those wounds you owe me nothing.” Blake stated before pointing at Ruby, “But I think there is something she’d like to ask you.”  
  
“Really?” Ruby nodded as a slight blush spread across her face, “As long as it doesn’t involve taking the mask off name it.” She said nothing as she pulled out two items from the pouch on her belt. One was a newspaper with his picture on the front page and the other was a pen.  
  
“Huh?” Then the realization hit him...well, this was an unprecedented event “Oh! Uh sure Ruby, if that’s what you really want?” The girl who stared down a terrorist could now only nod in response. Peter felt both touched and confused by the request. This girl had saved his life and from he had seen could kick his ass any day of the week. And _she_ wanted _his_ autograph? At least it gave him an idea on how to sign it.  
  
“ _To my hero Ruby Rose, your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!”_  
  
He handed the newspaper back to her and watched as she lit up like a Christmas tree. Ruby then squeed and pulled out her scroll.  
  
“I can’t wait to tell...huh that is a lot of messages.” She blinked in confusion, “Oh right I never went home...I...I’m in so much trouble aren’t I?” Peter winced in sympathy remembering similar situations with Aunt May. As Ruby proceeded to go through the messages Spider-Man took the chance to talk to Blake.  
  
“So what are you going to do now?” He asked in a low voice, “Isn’t the White Fang going to come after you?”  
  
“Eventually,” She responded, her tone and expression unchanging, “with both the “District Manager” and the Lieutenant behind bars the local chapter is now leaderless. They’ll go underground until they can get orders from higher up the chain of command. By then I’ll be out of their reach and can start making up for the things I’ve done.” Her amber eyes shifted to him, “What do you plan to do?”  
  
“Well until I’m healed Spider-Man’s out of commission,” Looking down at his wounds he added, “and going use that time to seriously rethink how he operates.” Blake looked at him strangely,  
  
“Did you just refer to yourself in the self in the third person?”  
  
“I do that all time,” He said in a deadpan tone, “is that a problem?”  
  
“It gives the impression your mentally unbalanced.” Blake sounded blunt but Peter could see a glimmer of playfulness in those golden orbs.  
  
“That’s what makes me look crazy? Not the red and blue tights or cracking jokes while fighting dangerous criminals?” The corners of her mouth tugged upward despite her best efforts. Peter had hoped to get a laugh out of her but decided to count this as a win.  
  
“Hey guys,” Ruby said quietly, “I have to go,” She stuck the autographed newspaper into one of the pouches and started to leave but stopped just before she got to the door, "I hope I see you guys again one day."  
  
"The feeling's mutual Ruby." Peter said sincerely, "And I hope you’re not in too much trouble."  
  
"Hopefully under less violent circumstances." Blake added, the silver-eyed girl smiled and went out the door leaving the two of them alone.  
  
“Yeah, I probably need to go too." Given his current shape, he doubted web-slinging was an option which meant he had a long trip home, "Mind if I borrow your bathroom to change?"  
  
"Sure, it's the first door down the hall."  
  
"Past the rolled up rug?"  
  
"Yes...be careful not to touch it...I need to have it cleaned." She said nervously, figuring it was none of his business he didn't press the matter.  
  
"One last thing:" He held his hand out, "good luck Blake."  
  
"Same to you," She replied as she shook his hand, "Now if you'll excuse me I'll go into the other room for a while."  
  
Peter appreciated the respect for his privacy both of them had shown. Later as he stepped out of the apartment building with his hood pulled over his head he couldn't help but feel relief that his secret identity was secure. Back home this kind of situation would have resulted in at least three supervillains unmasking him.  
  
_"Maybe Parker Luck doesn't have that kind of pull on Remnant? Either way, there's a lot of peace of mind to be found in the fact that literally, no one on the planet knows Peter Parker and Spider-Man are one in the same."_  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
It was a late night in the city of Mistral as a distinctly feminine figure made her way up the exterior of one of the kingdom’s most luxurious hotel. She scaled the walls on all fours like a lizard, her long brown hair billowing in the wind. On her back was a sack made from her own webbing, she could have just walked through the front lobby, she was a guest here after all.  
  
_But this is more fun, keeps my skill sharp, and potentially ticks off the boss. Plus this place is so overboard, I’m almost embarrassed to seen here._  
  
From what she had been told it had been some noble’s estate back in the days when the kingdom was an empire. A fitting place for Elsa no doubt but the young woman found it excessive.  
  
_Hell, this seems like the kind of place Osborn would stay in between plotting ways to make my life a living nightmare._  
  
She froze and had to remind herself that it wasn’t _her_ life that nutjob had tried to ruin. The young woman continued her way up the palatial hotel. Reaching the balcony of her own room she leaped over the railing. To her surprise, the light in her room was on and it seemed a little late for housekeeping.  
  
She sat her makeshift backpack on the ground and quietly approached the sliding bamboo door. The brunette quietly cracked the door and peeked inside.  
  
_Of course._  
  
The brunette rolled her eyes and opened the door. The woman she had nicknamed “Elsa” was waiting for her. She was a stunningly beautiful yet strict looking woman in early twenties. Her one visible icy blue eye narrowed, the other was obscured by her platinum hair.  
  
“Where were you, Jessica?” Winter actually sounded less irritated than she normally would in this situation.  
  
“I went out to shop and grab a bite.” Jessica explained as she brought her makeshift backpack in from the balcony, “That is permitted, right?”  
  
“Yes,” Winter answered in a weary tone, “but like _every other operative_ you are required to keep your scroll with you and on at all times.” the Specialist opened up her own scroll and pulled up a data file, “A regulation that perhaps you’ll be more appreciative of from now on.” Winter held the scroll out to her, “The General has permitted us to go to Vale once our business here is concluded.”  
  
Jessica Drew noticed the trace of sympathy the other woman’s voice. She had worked for Winter long enough to know that she wasn’t completely cold. The Schnee woman was just too tightly wound to express warmer emotions most of the time. Which actually worried her, taking the scroll she opened the highlighted file.  
  
It was an article from what she assumed was a Valish news service. Jessica’s initial focus was on the photograph rather than the article itself. Jessica teared up at the sight of the red and blue costume, she never thought she’d see him again.  
  
“So it is _him_?”  
  
Not trusting her voice Jessica nodded. Peter was alive, her big brother was alive and here in Remnant!  
  
“Would you...like a hug?” Her superior asked out of the blue.  
  
“What!?” First, she finds out Peter’s alive and then Winter freaking Schnee offers to hug her. Jessica wondered if this was some kind of weird fever dream. She decided to just back away slowly, “Why!?”  
  
“My apologies if that made you uncomfortable.” Winter said, “You seemed upset, I remember my sister responding well to being hugged when she was upset.” That only left Jessica more confused, the ice queen sighed, “It has occurred to me that I could be more amicable in our interactions.”  
  
“You...want to be friends?” Jessica was now scratching off fever dream and considering delusional coma. But Elsa seemed completely serious about this which made it more likely this was real, “I’m not against the idea but I think we’re a long way from hugging.”  
  
“Very well,” Winter replied and pointed at Jessica’s spiderweb backpack, “Would you prefer to talk about what you purchased? Once you’re done reading the files, of course, it’s everything Beacon forwarded to us.”  
  
“That sounds nice.”  
**  
**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**  
  
  
  
The ticking and grinding of gears were the only sounds that could be heard in the headmaster’s office. Ozpin examined the reports forwarded to him by the VCPD. The picture they painted did not bode well for the city’s superhero. He had been perplexed when he first heard reports of a superhero in brightly colored tights swinging through the city. Few things could surprise him anymore, and even fewer were of a benign nature.  
  
Glynda had advised trying to get in touch with the young man and encouraging him to enlist in Beacon or a combat school. A suggestion she had repeated when Spider-man’s claim of being a student from Torch was disproved. But he had wanted to see how the situation played out before deciding a course of action. Luckily for the hero, the VCPD was hesitant to go after someone putting a noticeable dent in crime. Even the SDC seemed unlikely to press charges against him for the collateral damage during that fateful skirmish.  
  
An extraordinary lucky turn all things considered, though the latter might the SDC taking note of Spider-Man’s growing popularity.  
  
Ozpin found one ray of hope for Spider-Man in the ballistics report; many bullets found at the scene did not match the ones used by Adam’s weapon. Perhaps the other fighters present ensured he got the help he needed? Perhaps fortune favored the boy as it seemed to thus far? Or perhaps he was grasping at straws in hopes that another life had not been lost on his watch.  
  
The elevator door opened drawing his gaze up from the desk see his trusted right-hand step in, scroll in hand. Her typically taciturn demeanor was gone, instead of looking as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulder.  
  
“I’m passing on the information right now, thank you.” Ozpin rested his elbows on the surface of the desk and clasped his hands together. Glynda would not have interrupted them if she didn’t think the information important, “That was Professor Xiao Long, from Signal.”  
  
That is a name I haven’t heard in a long time. Ozpin thought, he hadn’t even seen the man since the funeral, “What sort of information did Taiyang wish to pass along?”  
  
“Information regarding Spider-Man, apparently his younger daughter claimed she was a participant in the battle with Taurus. According to what she told Professor Long, she and a White Fang operative who turned on Adam got Spider-Man medical treatment in time.”  
  
_Thank the Gods_  
  
Ozpin let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Around most people, he might have maintained a more aloof demeanor but with Glynda, he could allow some walls to come down. It made him feel human to do so. He pushed his half-moon spectacles up the bridge of his nose, his demeanor shifting as the walls came up again.  
  
“Of course,” Glynda’s said reluctantly, “you may wish to temper your newfound optimism. This could just be a fabrication on the part of a teenage girl not wanting to explain to her parent why she was really out all night.”  
  
“A tad elaborate for fib, is it not?” He replied dryly,  
  
“You’ve never been an adolescent girl...at least, I’m assuming you haven’t.”  
  
“I have been many things but that is not one of them.”  
  
“Well, you would be surprised sir, especially if the truth involved someone one’s parents didn’t approve of.”  
  
“Speaking from personal experience Glynda?” The silver-haired asked a hint of mirth in his tone.  
  
“What do you wish to do with this information?” She deflected, a touch of color showed on her cheeks.  
  
“I think it would be prudent to go to Patch, hear Miss Rose’s account for ourselves.” Ozpin suggested before he realized the opportunity fate had presented him, “And if we find no falsehoods in her testimony then not only do we have proof but perhaps have a new student for the upcoming school year as well.”  
  
“As you wish,” Glynda replied in a neutral tone and opened up her scroll, "I'll book passage to Patch."  
  
Ozpin knew well enough to know she disapproved of moving student so far ahead. She herself had been admitted to Beacon a year earlier then most students, while she had adapted well to the new environment on the academic front she struggled socially for some time. Based on what he heard of Miss Rose from Qrow the girl probably would have a hard time adjusting as well.  
  
_Alas, I don't have a choice_  
  
With his fears of the fate of Spider-Man momentarily alleviated, Ozpin had turned his attention to the embodiment of all that was evil about modern society; paperwork. With both the start of new school year and the upcoming Vytal tournament to prepare for, there was so much of it. He almost welcomed the sound of his scroll going off for the reprieve.  
  
He then sighed when he saw it was James calling. The headmaster had been clashing with his old friend more than cooperating these days. Despite his trepidation, he answered, the man wouldn’t be calling at this hour if it wasn’t important.  
  
“Hello, James,”  
  
“ _Are the rumors true Oz?”_  
  
_Not even in the mood to exchange pleasantries?_ Opin noted, “That would depend on the rumor, there are so many swirling around these days. If it’s the one regarding Port commissioning a life-size replica of the Goliath he slew in youth, well one of them anyway, I have seen the plans, it promises to look most impressive when comp-”  
  
“ _About Spider-Man,"_ He specified, a hint of irritation could be heard his voice _," specifically the rumors that he’s been killed.”_  
  
“Well, I received some intel claiming that he survived the battle but was injured. Presumably, he’ll be lying low until he recovers, I trust the source but would like to verify it before deciding how to proceed.”  
  
“ _I hope that’ll be enough.”_ James said quietly, the Headmaster suspected he wasn’t supposed to hear that comment “That sounds like the best course of action that can be taken, at this point.” Like Glynda, he had been adamant about trying to contact Spider-Man, arguably more so.“If you find out anything concrete please let me know.”  
  
“I must confess James: your interest in the boy perplexes me, why?”  
  
“ _It’s not something I_ _feel comfortable discussing over the scroll.”_ He replied, _"I...have very good reason to believe that Spider-Man could be the key to changing everything,"_ Ozpin raised his eyebrows, James was usually only this boisterous about his technology, _"And I know who he is under that mask Oz."_  
  
"How?" Dumbfounded, that was how the Headmaster would describe his own voice at the moment.  
  
_"In due time old friend, right now I have some other calls to make."_ He hung up leaving Ozpin with far more questions than answers. To be perfectly honest it was rather irritating...the silver-haired man found himself given pause.  
  
_So that's what that feels like._  
  
He rose from his and strolled towards the window to look out at the capital city's skyline. Somewhere out there was a young hero who, seemingly without prompting or want of reward, took upon himself to defend the city. In that context, Ozpin realized, the idea of the superhero wasn't that different from the Maidens. Or more accurately some knight errant from old myths and fables. Perhaps Spider-Man at this moment was nobly enduring his the pains of injury with dignity.  
  
_If I were a man of religion I would pray for you to have a speedy recovery. But I am not so I can only wish you well where ever you are._


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**  
  
  
  
Normally, Lie Ren would take a moment to ponder the feat of wondrous engineering that was the Valish Sky-Train system.  
Instead, he stood with his arms crossed, looking down at Peter.

The raven-haired teen felt a combination of concern, confusion, and a touch of irritation. His acquaintance, in turn, looked rather embarrassed under the scrutiny of his magenta-eyed gaze. Nora, ever in contrast to him, sat on the bench beside Parker with a comforting arm around his neck.  
  
“Let me see if I understand this correctly.” He began dryly, “A week ago, on your way home from work, you were the victim of a hit and run. The aftermath of which, left you with several cracked ribs along with several, lesser injuries.”  
  
“So far, so good.”  
  
“And instead of calling us to reschedule our trip to the museum and focus on recovering.” His voice softened, “Which would have been perfectly understandable Peter. But instead, you’ve decided to go through with our original plans, plans which involve a good deal of walking and commuting. Am I missing anything?”  
  
“That about sums it up,” Peter shrugged before wincing, “I got tired staring at the walls of my apartment while popping painkillers like breath mints and praying to God for a quicker, more painless death. I think a day out would make a nice change of pace.”  
  
“I think this is a poor decision,” Ren stated. All this seemed to prove his belief that Peter was, when it came to his own well-being, an irresponsible person. How else would you describe a person who traveled through the Grimm-infested wilderness on a whim?  
  
“Oh come on Ren, this proves Peter is awesome!” Nora exclaimed, “He’s gonna work through the pain!”  
  
Unfortunately for Parker, she decided to follow this up with a supportive slap on the back. His eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out. He seemed to be making an effort not to scream out in pain. Their ‘buddy’ tilted forward slightly, then fell forward ending up face first on the concrete.  
  
Nora gasped and covered her mouth in horror, “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”  
  
Peter raised his hand to give a thumbs up followed by a high-pitched, painful sound that Ren interpreted to be an ‘uh-huh’ or some other affirmative.  
  
“Do you still wish to go to the museum?” Ren asked, to which Peter respond with another affirmative, "Again Peter, I think that this is a poor decision." He sighed, "But, that is your decision to make."  
  
Hearing the sounds of the approaching bullet train, Ren pulled out his ticket. As Nora did likewise, he looked down at Peter who was still on the ground.  
  
"You did remember to purchase your ticket?"  
  
"Yes, in my wallet." Peter responded, "I've used public transportation plenty of times, I know how it works."  
  
"Then you do understand that train will be here for a limited time."  
  
"I get that, I just..."  
  
"You're in too much pain to move aren't you?"  
  
"..." Ren turned to a very concerned looking Nora, he gestured towards Peter. His ginger-haired friend nodded and gently picked up their stubbornly prideful charge. With him draped over her shoulder the three teens boarded the train, ignoring or oblivious to the strange looks they were getting from their fellow passengers.  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
Peter was happy to find the seats on the train were more comfortable than the benches back at the station. It helped the ease the pain and let him take in his surroundings now. He looked out at the capital’s odd mesh of medieval, modern, and, in his eyes, futuristic architecture. The Valish Sky-Train System was another one of those things that reminded him that this wasn’t home. No, it didn’t actually fly that would be a completely silly thing to expect, right?  
  
_That would be completely vanilla for this place so you really can’t blame a guy for taking the name literally the first time he hears about it._  
  
Regardless, the Sky-Train System was a complex monorail system running through the megacity like a circulatory system. Unlike the subways back in New York, the entire system was above ground, suspended above the streets and even running through many buildings. The weird thing was that according to his glimpses into the kingdom’s history they used to have underground metro. Something else about this crazy place to figure out.  
  
Another difference between the subway and the sky-train were the accommodations. As opposed to being boxed in like a bunch of sardines, seating arrangements were more spacious. Given the capital’s size it’s understandable they’d put a little more effort into keeping the passengers comfortable since commutes were longer than back home.  
  
For a fairly reasonable price, they had their own compartment, which was quiet at the moment since Nora had gone to chase down the snack cart. He so wanted to make a _Harry Potter_ reference. Sadly no one here would get it. Even worse it would be some time before he’d absorb enough Remnan popular fiction to use referential humor to devastating effect once more.  
  
_Oh, the number of Sith-related insults I could have used on Adam alone._  
  
Peter smiled something that didn’t seem to go unnoticed by his traveling companion.  
  
“You seem to be feeling better,” Ren commented, looking up from his expanded scroll. Despite being overall so stoic a Vulcan would be impressed Peter could hear a small hint of relief in his words.  
  
_He does care!_  
  
“A bit, the pain’s easier to ignore.” Peter replied and then added: “As far as a full recovery goes, well that’s gonna take a while.”  
  
“That’s unsurprising, given what happened. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse.”  
  
“You have a point there.” Peter nodded in agreement even though it was for different reasons than what Ren was talking about. Ruby showing when she did, Blake turning on Adam, and even her knowing a back alley doctor.  
  
_I have to wonder what it says about my life that I put “getting a sword ran through me” into the “not so bad after all” category?_  
  
“But as long as you aren’t reckless I’m certain you’ll be fine.”  
  
“Ren, are you implying I’m reckless?”  
  
“Your actions speak louder than my words can on that subject,” He replied dryly and returned to the article he had pulled up on his scroll.  
  
“Well, I’ve never!” Peter crossed his arms as if he were actually offended. Honestly, the bits of almost-snark amused him. It made him feel like the McCoy to Ren’s Spock. Nice to see some emotion out of the guy, not as much as he showed with Nora but...he then grinned evilly, “I bet you'd be way nicer to Nora if she were in my position.”  
  
“She's the strongest student at Torch, perhaps the strongest student at any of Vale's combat schools." Ren asserted, "If that car had it her it would more likely be the irresponsible driver who needed medical attention. Plus Nora is an excellent patient, she was quite happy to let me take care of her when she contracted sweating sickness [1] last year."  
  
Peter suddenly had the mental image of Ren in a nurse’s outfit fussing over a bedridden Nora. He idly wondered if he had sustained brain damage in that fight. Well, a certain catgirl did deal him a hard blow to the head with the broad side of her cleaver...  
  
_God dammit Blake!_  
  
“-though she was unwilling to consider the health benefits of algae shakes. Furthermore, the benefits of Aura do allow for a modicum of reckless behavior.”  
  
Peter realized this was a chance to learn about a subject that had been more and more on his mind: Aura. How it worked and one went about learning it’s ways. Or at least the part that made you bulletproof and very hard to stab.  
  
“Well, sorry we don’t all have a healing rate powered by our souls.” in an exaggerated whine, “Heck, if I just had the personal forcefield I wouldn't be in this shape.”  
  
“It is odd that you don’t have your Aura unlocked,” Ren commented with some curiosity. “An impromptu trip across the Grimm-infested wilds should’ve provided the ideal conditions for you to do so.”  
  
Peter mulled the implications of that over, _I remember reading that_ _Aura can be unlocked through training but didn't know it could awaken in response to a dangerous situation._ It reminded of the way mutants back home often awakened their abilities in moments of extreme stress. “So, in rational terms, it’s a survival mechanism triggered by strong emotions?"  
  
"Yes," Ren responded in a distant tone, Peter noticed his expression was off as well. "Feelings of terror, despair, helplessness, and other such emotions are a common trigger." He then seemed to bring himself back to the present. "Most unlock their aura through intensive physical training."  
  
_It doesn't take much effort to imagine how it happened for you...now I feel like an ass._  
  
Peter thought this would’ve been an awesome time for Nora to return. Alas, she didn’t. Which meant he would have to manage the awkward silence on his own. Luckily he recalled something from his own, limited, research into Aura. Or rather something that hadn’t been mentioned at all.  
  
“Huh, none of the books I read on the subject mentioned that Aura could be unlocked through...er...emotional stimuli?” Ren blinked and groaned.  
  
“For reasons related to public safety discussing that method is _discouraged_ in the kingdoms, save Vacuo.” Ren explained. He seemed noticeably unhappy about the slip-up.  
  
“Public safety?”  
  
“Every child in the kingdoms at some point wants to be a Huntsmen or Huntress. Most of these children will come to understand that Aura is the key to making that dream happen...”  
  
“...and if they knew being a dangerous situation could give them that key I could so see a bunch of little kids doing stupid things they thought it’d give them superpowers.” Peter commented, “I totally would’ve done that when I was a kid.”  
  
“You wanted to be a Huntsmen?”  
  
“I wanted to superhero, figured becoming a Huntsman was the next best thing.” Peter had learned the most effective lies had some truth to them. Lying was a skill he cultivated out of necessity, he didn’t enjoy deceiving people around him. Ignoring the guilt, he shrugged, “But all the swirlies and time spent shoved inside my own locker convinced that wasn’t going to happen anytime.”  
  
“What’s a swirly?” Ren asked clearly confused.  
  
“It’s where someone picks you up by your ankles and dips your head in a toilet while their friend flushes.”  
  
Ren didn’t say anything at first, he seemed confused, then disgusted. “I’m...sorry to hear you endured such treatment.”  
  
Peter shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, man. High school’s over for me, thank God.” He thought back to all the crap he endured in those halls. Some days being Spider-Man was easier than being Peter Parker. At least as the former he could punch his problems. Well, there was that brief period when he’d first got his powers. He still felt ashamed of how he had acted, “Maybe it’s best that I didn’t unlock Aura, I probably would’ve turned into a complete tool.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
"Because the first thing I would've done is turn the tables on Flash and his friends, probably ending up being no better than them by the time all was said and done," Peter explained quietly turning to look out the window out at the city. Noting Ren's silence, he decided it was time to deflect and find another subject. "Maybe that's why I never unlocked my Aura, my tiny black soul couldn't power a nightlight."  
  
"Morality has nothing to do with one's ability to use Aura." Ren said dryly, the magenta-eyed teen's demeanor softened, "But on the subject, I do think it takes strength of character to admit something like that about yourself." Peter continued gazing out the window not wanting to look his friend in the eye. "As for Aura, _all_ living generate and can learn to use it,” A statement that got Parker’s attention, “if they are not capable of unlocking it themsel-"  
  
The compartment door slid open, revealing Nora with an armful of snacks. Peter internally loosed a slur of profanity that would’ve prompted Aunt May to wash his mouth out. Luckily he was fairly certain he knew what Ren had been about to say. That someone else with Aura could unlock his for him. Now he just needed t-  
  
“I got you some doughnuts Peter!” Nora exclaimed, cheerfully shoving the plastic package into his face, derailing his train of thought, “they’re syrup-glazed and covered in bacon bits!”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> [1] Sweating Sickness is an archaic name for influenza
> 
>  
> 
> Another fun tidbit; this chapter chronologically takes place before the previous chapter.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**  
  
  
  
Lie Ren knew people were rarely exactly what they seemed. Most had nuances that made they defy such simple categorization. Most people who saw Nora’s ferocity and power on the battlefield might be surprised by her gentler side. Or those who dismissed her as unintelligent might be surprised to know she designed a weapon as complex as Magnhild herself.  
  
Peter Parker was yet another example of someone more complex than he first appeared. Unassuming in appearance and prone to juvenile behavior, one could be forgiven for dismissing him. Yet just beneath that was a sharp mind and a very good-natured, if irresponsible, person.  
  
For starters, many people never gave Nora the chance to show them the better parts of their natures. Yet Peter didn’t seem put off by her eccentricities and surplus of energy. He even seemed to understand that they were, in many ways, her most endearing qualities. So far the trip to the museum reinforced that impression. In the natural history section, he had demonstrated both that understanding and his aptitude for the sciences.  
  
Rather it was the process of fossilization or the geological forces that shaped Vale’s mountainous boundaries. Peter explained it all in ways that Nora found quite engaging. He also seemed to genuinely enjoy himself while doing so. Here the history wing, however, Ren had taken over until his charges became take with one particular exhibit.  
  
“Peter, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Nora asked she gazed up at the detailed replica of a Mantlean War Mammoth. Adorned with armor and the ends of it’s tusks replaced with blades [1] the creature was an awe-inspiring sight. Peter seemed truly taken with it judging by how his jaw dropped upon first laying eyes on it.  
  
“The answer is no,” Peter replied with taking his eyes off the mammoth.  
  
Nora fixed him with a glare and crossed her arms. “You don’t even know what my idea was!”  
  
“You want me to create an army of mutant war mammoths to defend Vale, right?”  
  
Nora blinked her blue-green eyes in surprise. “Oh, so you did know what I was going to say.” She conceded before narrowing her eyes, “Wait, why not!? Mutant War Mammoths would be awesome!” Nora exclaimed, “Just imagine it! They would be twice as big, with extra tusks and at the end of their trunks will have clawed appendages [2] to grab hold of smaller Grimm!”  
  
Her expression was one of what Ren would describe as unrestrained, high-spirited glee. Peter, on the other hand, stared at her for a moment. To his surprise, the aspiring scientist then became rather thoughtful. Perhaps contemplating a way to temper Nora’s recent obsession. The result of her curiosity about Parker’s favored field of science had somehow led her to discover giant monster movies. But luckily he could count on someone of a more scientific mindset to dissuade her of such sillines-  
  
“Nora that...would be pretty awesome.” Peter admitted with a smile, not the response Ren had expected.  
  
"Even better, I have plans for a platform they'll carry on their backs from which we can rain destruction down on the Grimm!" Nora declared and opened up her scroll, "Wanna see the plans?"  
  
"Sure why not?" Peter replied, seemingly oblivious to the strange looks they were getting. He expanded the scroll and began looking over the blueprints, occasionally showing surprise, "Huh, not my area of expertise but these plans look pretty sound."  
  
"So how about it?"  
  
"Sorry," Peter said with a sigh, "that's beyond my means, both in terms of budget and skill. Plus that kind of mutation is really painful," he then quickly added, "in theory, at least. We don't even know if that kind of mutation is possible even!"  
  
"Aw, I wouldn't want to hurt them." Nora said sadly, "What about a mecha war mammoth?"  
  
"Still beyond my financial means but according to what I've read about Altesian robotics the tech needed for that is probably right around the corner."  
  
_Merciful Gods, they're feeding off one another._  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
Peter stared at the massive oil painting in awe, supposedly it depicted the final battle of the Great War. Well, Remnant’s Great War, which managed to be far more destructive than the conflict that bore that name in his own world. Putting it bluntly the nations of this world had nearly destroyed themselves. Vale and Mistral lost the bulk of their colonies to the Grimm.  
  
He didn’t consider himself an expert on art but he wondered if the apocalyptic nature of the conflict influenced the painter. It depicted a battlefield littered with bodies and broken weapons being ravaged by a mighty storm. At the center stood a figure Ren identified as the last King of Vale appearing to command the hellish weather.  
  
Three kneeling figures look up at the king with a sort of terrified awe probably not that different from Lot’s poor wife before she was turned into a pillar of salt. According to Ren, they were the monarchs of Mantle, Mistral, and Vacuo. It made him wonder if he’d underestimated the kind of power people here could wield.  
  
“I’m assuming some artistic license were taken?” Peter asked,  
  
“Something along those lines,” Ren explained, his tone more somber than stoic, “this was done by someone who had fought in that final battle. The war had left him deeply traumatized, as it did many so many. He took up painting after the conflict as means of excising his demons. His talent is self-evident,” Ren said with quiet admiration, “but it’s important to remember his state of mind. Many soldiers at the battle claimed the Last King conjured the storm that swept across the battlefield. But these were soldiers who had been at war for over a decade, who were unfamiliar with Vacuo’s erratic weather.”  
  
“So no chance he really was that powerful?” Peter asked but Ren shook his head.  
  
“Power on that scale simply isn’t possible.”  
  
“ _Thor and Storm could pull that off without breaking a sweat.”_ Of course, there was a third person on that list. His mood darkened as he thought the name of the man who destroyed New York, maybe the whole world,“ _...And Magneto.”_  
  
“Peter?” Nora was giving him a very concerned look, “Are you alright?”  
  
“I’m fine,” He managed a smile trying not to think about that last day in New York. Her blue-green eyes darted down and back up. Peter looked down to see his hands had balled into fists without realizing.  
  
“Sorry guys,” He said quietly as he looked the crescent marks on his palms, “I guess it just got to me.”  
  
“What did?” Nora asked as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Peter looked away from her as he tried to push back the memories.  
  
“All that death,” Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and God alone knew who else lost thanks to that fucking lunatic, “all that destruction, it just seems so pointless.”  
  
“I agree, the Great War could have easily been avoided.” Ren’s tone was a little softer than normal, “But we can’t change the past, all we can do is learn from it.”  
  
“Plus it makes you realize how lucky we are to be living in a time of peace,” Nora added, which despite it’s intentions soured Peter’s mood further though he tried his best to hide it. That phrase seemed to be repeated over and over again. On the news, on the streets, in documentaries, and it was starting to weird Peter out.  
  
Maybe ‘we’re in a time of peace’ might end up being Remnant’s equivalent of “We will have peace in our time’? God, he hoped not. Maybe he was just being paranoid? Just because Remnant had one global war didn’t mean it had to get a second one. He didn’t get the impression that there were tensions between nations.  
  
_Then why is Atlas building up it’s military? Unless they’re concerned about the White Fang?_ Thinking back to the events that brought him here Peter found himself faced with a really frightening question: _What if they’re right to be worried? Maybe Remnant’s next war won’t be kingdom vs kingdom but human vs faunus?_  
  
People back home had always talked about the possibility of a human-mutant war. Magneto, Xavier, politicians, and pundits on both sides of the mutant issue. The Sentinels and that twisted Weapon X program had been the US government’s way of preparing for the conflict. He’d eat Flash Thompson’s used jockstrap if Fury hadn’t drawn up any war plans of his own.  
  
_It’s a shame he’s still a prisoner on that other Earth_ [3] _...maybe he could have stopped Magneto? But at least he’s still alive...that’s a surprisingly happy thought._ He reflected given how many times he clashed with the guy, _He could be a tool but I think in his own way he really wanted to help people, help me._  
  
Peter himself had never figured the war would happen, the X-Men had always seemed to be able to avert disaster. Rather it was the Brotherhood on one side or some new waste of taxpayer money on the other. Was there something he could’ve done? More importantly: was there something more he could do now?  
  
“You're right Ren,” Peter said aloud, “All we can do is try to learn from those past mistakes.”  
  
As they continued through the museum he found himself thinking more and more about the situation with the White Fang. Blake said the Valish cell would go underground which meant he had a break but meant they’d return once upper management sent a replacement for Adam. He’d do what he could to stop them when they popped back but that was a ‘treating the symptoms not the illness’ solution.  
  
_Really as long the Faunus are treated like crap there’s gonna be a never-ending stream of recruits...so to ultimately stop the White Fang I have to stop systemic racism._  
  
Peter managed to stop himself from beating his head against the nearest hard surface. That would accomplish nothing save making his friends think he was crazy. Clearly, he couldn’t solve that problem but could he do something to help?  
  
_Is this a job for the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?_  
  
Peter really didn’t quite know how he could help as Spider-Man, to be honest. It wasn’t like there was some anti-faunus terrorist group he could target. If some group like that popped up he’d go after them but again that would be a symptom, not the disease. Bigotry in Vale wasn’t really like the anti-mutant movement back home.  
  
_It’s more ‘we don’t serve your kind here’ or it’s the faunus doing the dirty work that no one else wants to do. I guess that’s more a problem with how people see the Faunus, isn’t it? Not really something a superhero can fight is it?_  
  
At the end of the day, racism wasn't a problem that could be punched away, God knows Wolverine had tried. Maybe this wasn't a job for Spider-Man but plain old Peter Parker? The alternative was a team of faunus superheroes and just he didn't have the money to build a school for gifted youngsters much less a high tech warplane. He also really didn’t know much about the faunus really.  
  
_But I am in the best place to remedy that problem at least._ He realized and turned to his raven-haired friend. Of course, he had no clue where they stood on the faunus issue. Peter guessed it was time to find out:  
  
“Hey, Ren?” The Anima native looked at him curiously, “Does this museum have any exhibits about the faunus? Thier history, their culture, that sort of thing?”  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
>  
> 
> [1] Elephant Swords were a thing in our own world
> 
> [2] Imagine the Mammoths from Warhammer Fantasy but more cuddly
> 
> [3] The events of Ultimate Power resulted in Nick being handed over the authorities of the Supreme Powers universe


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**  
  
  
  
“Ren, you need to talk to him,” Nora whispered catching the raven-haired boy by surprise. Both by the suggestion itself and by the fact that she was whispering it. She inclined her head towards Peter, who was wordlessly examining one of the tote bags in the museum's gift shop.  
  
“Why? He seems perfectly fine.” Ren asked.  
  
Nora looked at Peter then back to him with a disbelieving expression,“You haven’t noticed how weird Peter’s been since we looked at the faunus exhibits?”  
  
“He’s been fairly quiet but nothing I’d consider weird.”  
  
Nora blinked. “You don’t think Peter Parker not talking is weird?” She asked, “Not talking about mad science, comics, cracking jokes, or how horrible civilian high schools are?”  
  
“I...no….you’re right something is very wrong with him.” Ren realized, cupping his right fist in his left hand, “I will speak to him.”  
  
“Maybe we shouldn’t have shown him the stuff about the Great War and the Faunus?” Nora wondered, “It’s obviously what upset him.”  
  
“Both of those are subjects he needs to understand if he’s going to build a life in Vale,” Ren told her, he started to say something but hesitated as he pondered the implications. He gave it more consideration before saying, “Isn’t better to learn about something potentially upsetting from one's friends rather than from strangers?”  
  
Nora beamed at him, before practically pushing him towards their troubled friend. Peter had just finished making his purchase and was now watching them with a perplexed expression. She then pretended to become interested in some mammoth figurines.  
  
“I have the odd feeling Nora wants you to talk to me,” Peter said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. It was good to see Peter’s humor hadn’t completely faded by whatever seemed to be bothering. Of course, it was hardly unheard of for people to use humor as a mask.  
  
“Yes, she noticed you haven’t been very talkative since the faunus exhibits.”  
  
“Are saying that I talk a lot?” Peter attempted to sound offended.  
  
“Is that an inaccurate assessment?” Ren asked dryly,  
  
“Is that snark?”  
  
“Is that deflection?”  
  
“...Maybe?” Peter sighed, “It’s not just the exhibit, the situation with the faunus in general.” He leaned back against a display case, wincing somewhat. “And I’ve actually been thinking about it for several days actually. Ever since I met…” He paused, looking up at the ceiling with an uncertain expression. Ren raised an eyebrow. “Well, just before the accident, I was at a bookstore and there was a girl who yelled at me for buying comic books.”  
  
“...Why?” Ren asked slowly.  
  
“I have no clue,” Peter admitted, “Anyways, we ended up briefly talking about the Faunus issue.”  
  
“How did one lead to the other?”  
  
“It made sense in context!” He asserted, “...sort of, anyway, then came me being laid up for a couple of days with nothing but time to think.”  
  
“I see,” Ren said, “that’s why you wanted to familiarize yourself with the Faunus’s history.”  
  
“I was more familiar with the bullet points of their history then I realized. Slavery, forced relocations, economic exploitation, and shitty working conditions, all _very_ familiar. I suppose things really could be worse but I’m not finding a whole lot of comfort in that thought. It’s a pretty messed up situation and something needs to be done about it.” Peter looked at him, his expression one of doubt and discontent, “Am I misreading things? You’ve lived in Vale longer then I have, what’s your take on the Faunus issue?”  
  
“Personally, I find the situation abhorrent.” Ren admitted, “But I’m not the best person to ask about what can be done given the path I’ve chosen.”  
  
“I’m guessing that’s Ren for ‘becoming a Huntsmen’ right?” Peter asked to which he nodded, “What does that have to with it?”  
  
“While Huntsmen and Huntresses are allowed tremendous freedom in how and where they operate but becoming involved with anything political is considered...inappropriate.” Ren explained, “The issue of faunus rights is considered a political issue.”  
  
“That actually explains a few things,” Peter admitted, “Personally I think it’s more an issue of morality than politics.”  
  
“I don’t disagree with you on that...”  
  
“There’s a ‘but’ coming isn’t there?” Peter asked sardonically,  
  
“But I understand why those rules were implemented which is tied to _when_ the Huntsmen Academies were founded.”  
  
“After the Great War right?” Ren nodded, “What does that have to do with the Huntsmen not getting involved in the Faunus issue?”  
  
“Things in those days were volatile, the new order was desperate to stabilize things and ensure that another conflict could never happen again. The Huntsmen were a part of the effort, a new class of warriors devoted to defending life and civilization. Ones above distinctions of nation, class, and race, a reminder that above all else the Grimm are the greatest threat and unity the greatest strength against them. Sight of that was lost during the Great War with devastating consequences. Huntsmen becoming involved in political matters potentially undermine that unity. It’s why Atlas’s more militant approach to training their Huntsmen has garnered so much criticism.” Peter appeared less than thrilled with that answer, even coming across as frustrated, “You’re from outside the Kingdom too, you should understand the threat the Grimm represent better than most civilians.”  
  
That gave Peter pause, he seemed to be collecting his thoughts as he glanced around the store. Ren guessed he remembered what happened last time they had discussed the Grimm. Fortunately, no one seemed to be paying attention to them.  
  
“Look, I’m not saying that the Grimm aren’t a problem, _the_ problem, but they’re not the _only_ problem that needs to be resolved.” He simply nodded and let Parker continue, “And beyond the fact that treating the Faunus like this is wrong I also think it’s potentially up there with the Grimm in terms of problems.”  
  
“You refer to the White Fang?”  
  
“That’s a big part of it,” Peter said with a nod, “as long as the Faunus are treated like crap you’re always going to have some of them signing up for the White Fang. Even if the police or huntsmen or that crazy Spider-Man guy somehow dismantled that group another one just pop up eventually. It’s like treating the symptoms but letting the disease fester.”  
  
“A rather fitting metaphor,” Ren admitted, “so you fear the situation continuing unless the underlying problem is dealt with?”  
  
“Actually...I think it’s gonna get much, much worse.”  
  
Peter spoke with an undercurrent of urgency that he found surprising and intriguing. Ren couldn’t help but think back to his earlier reflections on the hidden nuances of others. Until now he had assumed Peter to be a talkative, mostly carefree individual and despite his intelligence seemed to make some questionable choices.  
  
Yet Peter seemed to have taken a very serious look at the Faunus Issue. He had more often than once mentioned being bullied during his school years. Perhaps this was why empathized so strongly with the Faunus’s plight? Why the urgency? There was really only one reason he could think of:  
  
“You fear the White Fang will continue escalating things?”  
  
Noticing a woman and a small child nearby Peter drifted over to a rack of novelty shirts. Ren joined him and whispered: “I believe we’re out of earshot now.”  
  
“To answer your question: once again that’s part of it, the thing that I’m really worried about is the eventual blow-back.” Peter replied as he took a shirt off the rack, “The way I see it is eventually one of two things is going to happen. One possibility is that the Kingdoms are going to start really trying to clamp down on the situation. Which probably means a lot of harsh security measures with a dose of skull cracking aimed at the Faunus. Which probably won’t catch many actual terrorists but succeed in driving a lot more Faunus to join the Fang. They, in turn, step up their attacks which makes the Kingdoms clamp down even harder. Lather, rinse, repeat until...well I’m sure you can imagine the end result of that.”  
  
“You...have no faith in the ability of our leaders to handle things reasonably do you?” Ren asked a little surprised at Peter’s pessimistic prediction. Personally, he didn’t think it was impossible but he’d like to think the councils wouldn’t allow the situation spiral that out of control.  
  
“I guess that sounds a little far-fetched to you doesn’t it?” Peter asked clearly embarrassed,  
  
“Yes,” Ren replied plainly,“more than a little.” his friend in turn sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
“When it comes to having faith in authority figures I’m an agnostic at best.”  
  
“To say the least,” Ren wondered if Peter had gone through some kind poor experience that resulted in this outlook. His curiosity though compelled him to inquire about something else: “and what is the other possibility?”  
  
“The other potentially worse blowback is some...human supremacist group that starts committing acts of violence against the Faunus in response. Maybe even starting out as a group of White Fang victims looking for payback?” He wondered aloud, “Bonus points in the cruel irony category if they emulate the White Fang’s tactics.”  
  
Ren had to admit there was a chilling plausibility to this scenario. Faunus radicals sought revenge for the less then equatable social situation of the present and the wrongs committed against them in the past. Would it be surprising if human victims of the White Fang eventually tried to strike back in retribution? He could see where Peter was going with this line of thought.  
  
“And two groups of extremists fighting one another, neither particularly inclined to care about innocents caught in the crossfire or collateral damage...” Ren regarded Peter with some concern, “I find this ability of yours to envision such morbid scenarios worrisome...perhaps spending all that time alone in your apartment was affecting you mentally.”  
  
“Are saying coming to the museum was not a ‘poor decision’?” Peter asked with a smirk, his previous pessimism _seemingly_ gone.  
  
“I’m simply saying being alone for an extended period of time clearly doesn’t agree with you.” Ren replied dryly, “But in all seriousness, it is concerning.”  
  
“I guess I wouldn’t be as grim about the whole thing if there was something I could do to help.” Peter admitted, “I hate the feeling of seeing a wrong being committed and not doing anything to stop it or at least try.”  
  
Ren's thoughts drifted back to one day in his childhood, of the person who'd become his dearest friend clutching a piece of molded bread. Of just watching the other children taunt and push her, being too afraid to act. A memory that still brought him shame on occasion, "I can certainly sympathize with your feelings on that matter." He said finally, "If your conscience compels you to act, then do so, find a means to fight this injustice. Don't let yourself be paralyzed by indecision or envisioning increasingly morose scenarios. As a wise man once told me: Sometimes, the worst action to take is taking no action at all."  
  
"Wow, that's pretty good," Peter said thoughtfully, "that's almost up there with some advice my uncle once gave me."  
  
"What was that?" Ren's curiosity peaked, Peter had never mentioned his family much before now.  
  
"Wi-" The brown-haired teen was cut off by a high pitched voice asking:  
  
"Mommy, what is that girl doing up there?" The two teen boys looked at the child who was pointing above their heads. With a sinking feeling, Ren looked up to see a sheepish Nora hanging upside down on a replica of one of the early Mistrali Airships models you could purchase here for an admittedly obscene price.  
  
"Hey guys," Nora greeted and help up a mammoth figurine, "uh...look what I got!" A bemused Peter started to say something but was cut off by bits of ceiling hitting the ground. Her eyes widened; "Oh cra-"  
  
Years of physical training had honed Ren's reflexes to the point that moving out of the way before the ceiling gave. Unfortunately, at the moment he hadn’t considered that Peter, being a civilian recovering from injury, lacked such reflexes. As such he was buried the collective weight of Nora, the model airship, and a chunk of the ceiling.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**  
  
  
  
In a lot of ways Peter Parker envied the Hunstmen, they didn’t need secret identities or need to hide their powers. But he did. Which is why he, despite his spider-sense indicating otherwise, had decided being buried under a chunk of the ceiling was the best course of action.  
  
After all, _Peter Parker_ was a normal human recovering from a hit and run. Not someone who should have lightning fast reflexes. Besides he’d taken worse over the course of the past few years. So why not?  
  
‘ _Why not?’_ Peter wondered rhetorically as Nora helped him out of the museum, giving him support.  
  
He didn't actually need the help but did need to exaggerate about the extent of his injuries to keep his identity hidden. Ren was inside speaking with the staff, apparently, the combat schools had funds to cover damages that might be caused out by students. Another perk of being a Huntsmen he couldn’t help but envy.  
  
“I’m so sorry Peter,” Nora said quietly for the umpteenth time since pulling him out of the rubble.  
  
“It’s okay,” He assured her once more but remembering something Ren said back at the diner. That some people tended to find Nora difficult. Peter could this sort of thing driving people away, especially if they lacked superhuman strength. But she wasn’t a bad person, just a bit of ditz, so he added: “I’m not angry with you Nora, I’m honestly angry at myself.”  
  
The ginger-haired girl froze, regarding him with a mixture of confusion and concern, “But that’s an illogical and slightly unhealthy reaction to this situation!”  
  
“…What?” Was the only response Peter could manage _._  
  
“I said th-” Nora suddenly stopped, her eyes wide with excitement, “Oh I just remembered why I was...err,”  
  
“Eavesdropping on Ren and me?” Peter supplied,  
  
“...yeah that,” The peppy ginger-haired girl pulled out her Scroll, “I sorta figured you were upset about the stuff in the Faunus exhibit so I did a quick search and found this!”  
  
‘ _Hmm,’_ Peter carefully read the webpage Nora had pulled up, ‘ _this actually does look likes a job for Peter Parker.’_ He was honestly surprised that this hadn’t occurred to him sooner, ‘ _Especially considering...well. Aunt May, Uncle Ben I’ll try to do you both proud as carrying on that_ _family tradition.”_  
  
“Huh, his really isn’t that far from here.” Peter commented, “...I wonder if we could swing by there real quick?”  
  
“Didn’t Ren mention wanting to get you straight home?”  
  
"I'm sure he'll agree that this is a great idea," Peter replied knowing that there was no way in hell that would be the case.  
  
  
  
\---xxx---  
  
  
  
Truth be told Ren thought this was a good idea despite being worried about Peter’s injuries. This would hopefully give his friend a positive outlet for his concerns.  
  
So now they found themselves waiting in line among the single largest gathering of Faunus he had ever seen. In fact aside from the three of them, there were few humans present as far as Ren could tell. He found the possible implications of that deeply troubling. Vale was supposed to be a progressive nation, at least when compared to Atlas and Mistral.  
  
**"What do we want!?"** Asked a violet-haired Ram Faunus with a megaphone.  
  
_**"Equality!"**_ The crowd of protesters answered in return, their palatable passion surprised Ren. He vaguely remembered Kuroyuri’s politics being far more subdued. Security necessitated that it be such out of fear of drawing the Grimm.  
  
**"And when do we want it now!?"** He asked of them, the crowd answered him with one word:  
  
“ _ **Now!”**_  
  
Did the lack of human supporters here mean that his previous assumption was wrong? Or perhaps the Enkidu League had until recently had been an exclusively Faunus only organization? These people certainly hadn’t rallied to protest a non-existent problem.  
  
Perhaps he really didn’t know his adopted homeland as well as he believed. Ren wondered if his limited social life was to blame? Save for outings with Nora he preferred to focus on his education. Occasionally he went out on his own to shop or visit an art exhibit yet he had seldom seen much in the way of bigotry. Perhaps he needed to get out more?  
  
“ **What do we want?”**  
  
As the line moved forward Ren became acutely aware that he and his friends were the focus of some of the protester’s attention. The mostly Faunus protesters were initially surprised than happy at their presence. He returned their smiles and nodded in acknowledgment of their friendly waves.  
  
“ _ **Equality!”**_  
  
“They really seem surprised to see a couple of humans here,” Peter commented in a tone implying that the possible implications of this weren’t lost on him either.  
  
“ **When do we want it?”**  
  
“Yeah, this place is a bit like a rock concert but all backward,” Nora added, the odd statement perplexed both himself and, going by the look on his face, Peter as well. Noticing this, she clarified her statement.  
  
“At most rock concerts you don’t usually see Faunus in the pits where the fun's at," his normally cheerful friend frowned," they’re usually stuck up in the nosebleed section.”  
  
“ _ **Now!”**_  
  
"Wow, I cannot picture Ren at a rock concert," Peter said in surprise,  
  
"With good reason," He replied dryly, "I'm not fond of them or the genre of music they're associated with. Nora, however, is quite enthusiastic about both."  
  
Peter seemed surprised by that statement. "Huh...I guess it makes sense that you two don't spend all your free time together."  
  
"You assumed we did?"  
  
"Well, you two are like," He seemed to struggle to come up with an analogy,"...X-Ray and Vav? you two are so close it's just weird to think of one of you without the other."  
  
“Well, we certainly like hanging out together...” Nora froze, her cheeks went bright pink, “But we’re not _together-_ together!” She quickly corrected, clearly embarrassed about any potential misunderstanding. “Just that we like hanging out together as friends, _nothing more_.”  
  
“Really?” Peter said in disbelief, his eyes shifted back and forth between the two them.  
  
“Huh, you know,” He said in a sly tone, “you two would make a cute cou-”  
  
“Hey look, the line’s moving!” Nora exclaimed as she dragged both of them forward, practically bowling over the girl in front of them, “I’m so sorry!”  
  
The freckled brunette for a brief moment said nothing, briefly frozen in place. Her stance almost seemed defensive and Ren wondered if she had some sort of training? Curiously, her blue-gray eyes, strangely enough, seemed focus not on him or Nora but instead on Peter. Peter himself was in between Nora and the other girl but somewhat hunched over, a pained expression on his face. His injuries clearly causing him distress, yet despite being in pain he seemed focused on her in turn.  
  
_'I can’t help but feel there is some context that I’m missing.'_ Ren wondered as the girl’s expression shifted to one of concern.  
  
“Is he alr...” The brunette started, visibly relaxing her stance. In yet another puzzling development, her face hardened and she glared at Nora, “Just watch where you’re going!”  
  
“As my friend said; it was an accident.” Ren said gently.  
  
“Yeah, wel-,” The girl’s voice trailed off as her eyes drifted from them to the small group of onlookers, apparently they had drawn some attention. Something about her calculating look concerned him. This person seemed to be trained and on edge- a disconcerting combination at such a large gathering of people.   
  
“Hey, what’s going on down there!?” Someone called from ahead in the line, the brunette glanced in the direction of the voice, and back at them, “Alrighty, let me through.” The voice prompting the crowd to part, revealing a stern-looking Ursine Faunus with mid-length brown hair and bright green eyes, "So what's the problem here people?"  
  
"Nothing," the other brunette snapped and stormed off, "I was just leaving."  
  
"Who peed in her Pumpkin Pete's?" The Faunus growled and sighed before addressing them, "Alright people let's keep this line moving."  
  
"I wonder if we should say something?" Ren said glancing at Peter, who seemed to have recovered somewhat, "You seem to notice something was off that girl too, right?"  
  
Peter blinked and grinned nervously. "I noticed she was kinda cute," he responded with a shrug. "What did you notice about her?"   
  
Ren pinched the bridge of his nose, "Nothing," He responded. Hopefully, the rest of this outing would be uneventful.  
  
  
  
  



End file.
